Picking Up the Pieces
by Amber477
Summary: The summer before the Trio's seventh year, everyone must decide where their loyalties lie and what's truly worth fighting for as the final battle comes upon them all. RonHermione, RemusTonks, HarryGinny, and as far as everybody else...you'll have to read
1. Insomnia and Romantic Interludes

Picking Up the Pieces Insomnia and Romantic Interludes

Ginny Weasley sat upright in her bed, staring at the opposite wall. Hermione was sleeping peacefully in the bed next to her, and Fleur was (despite much protest)  
sleeping on the fold out bed beneath Hermione's.  
Apparently, Mrs. Weasley figured Hermione had been through enough this week, and deserved a little rest.

Ginny figured if she was a really good person, she'd give Fleur her bed. But she wasn't feeling particularly giving, despite her mum's improving opinion of Bill's fiance.

Yet, even with her bed, she couldn't sleep. This entire year seemed so surreal that she couldn't process it all. Dumbledore dead. Snape completely and unquestionably a bad guy. I mean, sure, she'd never liked him...but damn. That was quite a blow. And Harry actually her boyfriend. Well, sort of. His lame break-up attempt was more like hitting the pause button, not the stop.

Ginny refused to dwell on this anymore than she already had. She hadn't eaten much at dinner, so she figured she'd go comfort eat. Because THAT was so healthy. And it would definitely help her fit into the too-small bridesmaid dress Fleur had gotten her for tomorrow's ceremony. Bugger it. She was starving.

She got up, sinking her feet into slippers and padding into the hallway. The Burrow was packed to its considerable brim, since no one really fancied staying alone after everything, and the Burrow was so well protected.

It seemed as if the entire Order had made the Burrow unofficial headquarters until after Bill and Fleur's imminent wedding, when they all had to return to work,  
whatever that might entail.

She walked down the hallway, hearing the peaceful sounds of sleep from behind the doors as she walked.  
It seemed unreal that everyone could still sleep so untroubled after everything.

And now Harry was leaving. Just when they'd finally figured things out. She felt a small ache in her stomach, remembering how he'd looked at the funeral.  
His green eyes had been so full of...hurt. Pain. Grief beyond what anyone three times his age should ever have to deal with. She hated it.

Ginny sighed. All she could hope was to be some kind of escape for him. He'd always have someone else to save, something else to finish. The curse of loving a hero, I guess, she thought with a sad smile.

She was about to turn the corner into the kitchen when she heard two hushed voices, quiet but angry.

Curious, she stopped.

"So, what? You're just leaving again?"

Ginny recognized that voice, although she had never heard it so strained by emotion. It was Tonks.

"You make it sound like I want to go." A male voice responded.

Professor Lupin, Ginny realized.

Ooh, this was interesting. She was more than a little surprised when they'd been outed as couple in the hospital wing. She couldn't imagine that she had met two people more different in her entire life.

She peered around the corner, and saw them standing in the main living room. Tonks had her back to Ginny, her bright pink hair practically crackling with rage.

Ginny could see Lupin's face, but they were pretty deep in conversation. They obviously hadn't noticed her. She quietly kept watching, her curiosity superceding their right to private conversation.

"How am I supposed to know how you feel about anything? One minute, you're right there with me-"

"Things were different then!" Lupin said, rubbing a hand wearily over his eyes.

"How were they different?" She said, her voice rising in volume.

"Unless you want the entire Order involved in this conversation, keep your voice down." He put his hand on his arm.

"Don't tell me what to do. I'm not a child." Tonks said, shaking his hand away furiously.

"Then stop acting like one." He retorted.

Ginny could practically imagine the look on Tonks's face-- it was the same one she'd make if someone said that to her.

"Oh, yeah. Right. I'm the immature one. You're the one who shuts out the entire world!" She whispered through gritted teeth.

"You don't know me. You don't know my life. You have no idea what I've been through.How much I've lost." He said, still speaking in a dangerously soft whisper.

"Then tell me! Damn it, Remus, just trust me! Let me in!" She said, stepping closer to him.

"I did let you in. And then I remembered that everytime I do that with someone, I lose them. My whole life has been losing people."

She took his hand.

"You're not losing me." She said quietly.

"You don't know that." He turned, smiling sadly.

"I do know that if you spend your whole life avoiding relationships because you're scared of losing them...then you're not living at all."

"Got it all figured out, do you?" He sat down on the couch.

"No. Of course not. Who the hell does? But I do know that I want to figure it out with you. That's why you're so frustrating, Remus- I don't even know how you feel about anything anymore. If you even care."

There was a long silence. Ginny squirmed slightly from her vantage point.

Finally, Lupin spoke, his voice still soft.

"Of course I care."

"Don't. Don't say that if you don't...if you're just trying to..." Tonks said, her voice breaking slightly.

Ginny blinked. Tonks getting emotional was still a strange thing to witness.

Lupin got to his feet, crossing to her and kissing her. It was a long enough kiss that Ginny started to feel very awkward just standing there like some crazy voyeur. She didn't know teachers ever kissed anyone like THAT. When the kiss ended some time later, they just looked at each other in silence for a long moment.

"Okay, you can't just win every argument like that"  
Tonks said somewhat breathlessly.

He looked at her, a very serious expression on his face.

"I told you I loved you, and I meant it. Nothing's changed." He finally said.

"Then why are you leaving?" She said.

Ginny could now see them in profile, and noticed Tonks was on the verge of tears.

"Because I don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice! You don't have to go back!"

"I'm the only person who can do this job! That was decided for me a long time ago, and I've accepted it.  
Dumbledore asked me to do it...and I can't just give up because we lost him. You think I could live with myself if I didn't do everything I could? If something ever happened to you...or anyone else while I was wasting time staying safe...I could never look at myself in the mirror. You understand that. You're fighting too. And I hate worrying about you everyday.  
But that's just who we are, and we've known that from the beginning."

Tonks impatiently wiped a tear off her cheek. There was another long silence.

"You're right, as always. S-Sorry for getting like this."

"You don't have to apologize." He affectionately tucked a strand of bright pink hair behind one ear.

She smiled, leaning her cheek against his hand.

"Leave it to me to waste the time we get together crying like soppy Muggle soap star." She laughed.

He smiled.

"Your hair...it's back to normal. Or your brand of normal."

"You like my hair. Don't deny it." She grinned.

"Never said anything about not liking it."

"Besides, you never hear me complaining about the whole Tweedy Librarian thing you've got going on." She laughed slightly.

"Worked on you, didn't it?" He smiled back.

"Helpless against your charms, I'm afraid."

He kissed her forehead, pulling her against him. She laid her head on his shoulder, her arms around him tightly.

"I love you so much." Tonks whispered.

Ginny smiled slightly. Awww.

Then they were kissing again, and Ginny figured it was about time she stopped her little Rear Window act.  
Now, it would just be certifiably weird if she stayed.  
Feeling strangely heartened that her love life was certainly not the only one affected by recent events,  
she walked back to her bedroom.

Crawling under the sheets, she realized she was still hungry. She rolled over to her side, giggling slightly. Of course the room of personal confessions had to be en route to the kitchen. Love could be so very incovenient, it seemed.

For a moment, Tonks and Remus completely forgot that they were in the Weasley's living room. But as this particular moment grew more heated, and Tonks nearly stumbled over the rather tatty couch, it all came back.

"Remus..." She broke away from him, laughing.

"I know. We can't do this here."

"Yeah. Might give the kiddies a whole different kind of lesson." She said, unable to stop laughing.

"You think you're so hilarious."

"I am."

They both caught their breath for a moment.

"It really is cruel to do this to someone." He sighed,  
running a hand through his slightly messy hair.

"Hey, you started it." She pointed out.

They stepped away from each other, composing themselves.

"So...we're all right then?" He looked at her.

"Just as long as you promise to never bring up that whole "werewolves can't get married" crap again."

"What I meant was-"

She put a finger to his lips.

"I know what you meant. And it's bloody ridiculous."

"So's your hair." Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Ouch. I'm guessing a "so's-your-face" retort wouldn't help much in your opinion of my maturity." Tonks grinned, crossing her arms.

"You'd be correct in that assumption."

He sighed, looking at her contemplatively.

"It's just...I never even thought I'd have friends after I got bitten...much less anything resembling a real relationship. I've just a lot of issues I have to work out."

"Well, work them out then. I'll be here."

"I know you will be." He smiled at her, feeling such a strong, sudden surge of affection that it sent a pleasant shiver through his nerves.

Tonks smiled back, knowing that in all the nights to come that she'd lie awake missing him, she'd remember what he looked like right now, in this moment.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said quietly, squeezing his hand and turning to go.

"What are you wearing for the wedding?" He asked her curiously.

"Tweed. Head-to-toe. We'll be one of those horrid couples who match." She winked.

"Can't wait to see that," He said, rolling his eyes,  
"Night, love."

"Night"

A/N- If ya want more, leave me a nice review and a shiny apple. And I'll see what I can do. Thanks for reading! 


	2. Forces of Nature and Darkened Corners

Picking Up the Pieces Forces of Nature and Darkened Corners

The next morning's sun rose behind a veil of dark clouds. Ginny and Hermione were suddenly and rudely awakened by a very elegant shriek.

"Zis 'ees unbelievable!" Fleur wailed, dashing to the window.

"What's wrong?" Hermione mumbled drowsily, rolling over.

"A storm is coming! On ze day of my wedding!" Fleur gesticulated wildly to the window.

"The nerve." Ginny muttered sarcastically, sitting up and realizing she was still starving.

"What's zat, Ginny?"

"Nothing." Ginny smiled innocently, walking to the bathroom to start getting ready.

Hermione yawned widely, pulling her rose pink dress robes off the hanger and examining them critically.  
She'd barely had time to get new dress robes, but was glad she'd thought of it. Pink wasn't exactly her favorite color, but it was a nice change. It was surprisingly fun to just be a girl sometimes.

"Is zat what you're wearing?" Fleur looked over at her.

"Yes." Hermione said somewhat defensively.

Fleur nodded approvingly.

"You would be so pretty if you gave yourself ze chance." Fleur said, patting her condescendingly on the shoulder and flouncing past Ginny into the bathroom.

"Go right ahead." Ginny said through gritted teeth,  
flopping back on her bed.

"Come on, Gin. It's her wedding day." Hermione looked over at her friend.

"I know, I know. I'll play nice."

"You want breakfast?" Hermione asked, pulling on a sweater over her pajamas.

"Yeah, I'm starved." Ginny pulled her long red hair into a messy ponytail, following Hermione downstairs.

Most of the Weasleys, Harry, Lupin, Kinglsey and Tonks were already seated around the table, eating a hearty breakfast.

"Morning, girls!" Mrs. Weasley smiled brightly at them, handing them plates heaped with bacon, eggs,  
kippers, and fruit.

"Oh, mother. Now I know I'm not fitting into that bridesmaid dress." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"She means, thank you, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione grinned, taking her plate and sitting in the seat next to Ron.

Mrs. Weasley gave Ginny a "Why-can't-you-be-more-like-Hermione" look, and handed her her plate.

"Where's Fleur?" Bill asked, his mouth full of eggs.

"Grooming herself." Ginny snickered, sitting down between Harry and Charlie.

"Her parents just owled. They're coming in today at noon from France with Gabrielle." Bill said,  
swallowing.

"Oh, good. That will be perfect, dear." Mrs. Weasley beamed proudly at her oldest son.

"The first of the Weasley offspring to get saddled with the old ball and chain." Fred laughed.

"Don't let Fleur hear you call her that." George elbowed his twin.

"She'd probably Veela me to death or something." Fred snorted, getting a reproachful look from Bill.

"Wouldn't be a bad way to go." Ron shrugged, receiving an even more reproachful look from Hermione.

Ginny looked over at Harry, eating his breakfast rather dolefully. He noticed, looking at her quizzically.

"Something on my face, Gin?"

"No. Sorry. You're just so pretty." Ginny laughed,  
messing up his hair even further.

"Not while I'm eating, you two." Ron muttered, rolling his eyes at Hermione.

"Yes, because you and Lavender weren't at all nauseating." Ginny grinned.

"Who's Lavender?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking over at them from conversation with Mr. Weasley and Lupin.

"Ronnie's girlfriend." Fred and George said in unison, matching wicked grins on their faces.

"EX-girlfriend." Ron corrected, hastily looking at Hermione.

"You never told me about her." Mrs. Weasley looked affronted.

"Not much to tell." Ron said, obviously not wanting to discuss this further.

"But you two broke up?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Mum, please!"

"It's okay, Ronnie, she probably doesn't even believe you had a girlfriend. We're still dubious of the existence of this "Lavender." Fred laughed.

"Oh, she existed. Rather inescapably so." Harry joined in the conversation, grinning at Ron.

"Come on, Harry! Best mates, remember?" Ron shook his head with disbelief.

"Ron has a girlfriend?" Mr. Weasley looked up.

"NO!" Ron buried his head in his hands, his ears flaming red.

"HAD a girlfriend. Now he's all alone." Ginny corrected, patting her brother's head.

"Why'd you break up again?" Harry looked at Ron,  
obviously delighting in someone else being the center of attention.

Ron didn't answer, nervously looking at Hermione.

"Lavender thought there was something going on between me and Ron." Hermione shrugged, filling in the gap Ron was obviously wanting to omit.

No one said anything, eating their breakfast in silence with knowing smiles on their faces.

"There's not, though." Ron said hurriedly.

"No, of course not." Hermione said just as quickly.

"Ohh-kay." Ginny giggled, getting herself more eggs.

Fleur descended the stairs then, her long blond hair just as perfect as it had been when she'd woken up and wearing attractive silver, flowy dressing robes.

"Darling, have you looked outside?" She hurried to Bill's side, flinging an arm dramatically towards the window.

Ron smiled gratefully as everyone's eyes left him and went to Fleur. He knew he liked her.

"Looks like the backyard." Bill looked up at his fiance, grinning.

"But ze stormclouds!"

"Wouldn't dare strike on your wedding day." Bill said,  
pulling her comfortingly into his lap.

"Iz there some spell or something zat we could do?"

"We're wizards, babe. Not God." Bill laughed.

"Oh, haha." Fleur said gloomily.

"Honey, everything will be fine," Mrs. Weasley said,  
"It rained fourteen inches on my wedding day, and things were fine."

"But ze wedding is outdoors!"

"Then we'll get wet," Bill shrugged.

Fleur looked at him, affronted. He took her hand.

"The most important thing is we're getting married.  
Right?" He looked at her, still grinning.

Fleur sighed.

"Of course. Zat's ze most important thing." She smiled her brilliantly white smile.

"All right, well, everyone should probably start getting ready soon." Mrs. Weasley rose from her seat,  
collecting dishes.

"I'll help clean up!" Tonks volunteered.

Mrs. Weasley looked doubtful of letting Tonks anywhere near her kitchen.

"Are you sure, dear? I don't mind."

"Of course I'm sure." Tonks gave her a rather meaningful look, as if to say they had something to discuss.

Mrs. Weasley smiled when she noticed this.

"Oh , all right."

Tonks and Mrs. Weasley gathered everyone's dishes.  
Ginny watched Tonks carefully to see if she noticed anything between her and Lupin. These two were like freaking spies- they'd barely even looked at each other the entire breakfast.

But as Tonks passed by him, Ginny noticed she gave him a rather sly wink. Ginny smiled to herself. Sneaky,  
sneaky. She could never get away with one of those secret romances.

Hermione had finished putting on her robes, arranging her dark curls into something resembling a bun.  
Whenever she just left them down, they got very unruly very quickly. And she wanted to look nice tonight. It would probably be one of the last occasions any of them would have to just dress up and have a nice time.  
The next year would almost certainly not be full of dances and parties.

Suddenly, she realized someone else was in the room.  
She spun around, seeing Ron standing in the doorway.

"Ronald! For heaven's sakes, how long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, ages." Ron raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, trying to clasp her necklace behind her neck.

"Got the wrong room."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I actually wanted to talk to you."

Hermione blinked.

"Really? Why?"

"Well...we're going to the wedding kind of together,  
aren't we?"

"I don't know. You never asked me." Hermione said rather cooly.

"Oh, come on, Hermione." Ron sighed.

"What? You want to go together, ask me to go with you."

"I'm rubbish at this stuff." Ron crossed his arms awkwardly.

"Didn't seem to have any trouble with "this stuff"  
when you were with Lavender." Hermione pointed out.

"Well, I never actually really asked her out. It was more just like I went up to her and...you know."

"What?" Hermione asked innocently.

Ron shifted his weight from one foot to another.

"Need help with the necklace?" He asked, obviously casting his mind for anything else to talk about.

"Sure. Brilliant dodge, by the way." Hermione laughed,  
turning around so he could put on her necklace properly.

There was a moment of awkward silence as he fiddled with it, finally clasping it. Hermione smiled. Ron was criminally cute when he was nervous.

She turned around, standing very close to him.

"So...?" She said quietly.

Ron noticed how close she was standing. He also noticed that her dress was lower cut than things she usually wore. He swallowed hard. Best to get this over with quickly. Besides, if he didn't say something,  
they were pretty close to doing something entirely different. Not that that sounded unappealing in the slightest.

But everytime Ron even came close to kissing her (and there'd been plenty of times this last year), he always backed out at the last minute. They were getting awfully close to something happening between them, and they both knew it. He knew it was getting ridiculous, but somehow the thought of kissing Hermione terrified him more than any giant spider ever could.

"Would you like to go to the wedding with me tonight"  
He said, the words all strung together in a nervous mumble.

"I'd love to." She replied, still not stepping away from him.

"Okay then. You know where to find me." Ron said,  
laughing awkwardly.

"You really are terrible at this." Hermione shook her head.

"I know." Ron's mouth twisted into the little half-grin that always gave her a pleasant little twitch in her stomach.

Hermione looked at him, swallowing hard. Here they were alone again. Here was that same strange tension between them.

She leaned forward, kissing his cheek, something that had become quite familiar to both of them.

"See you then." She whispered rather throatily in his ear--NOT something she usually did.

She didn't pull away from him, her hand still on his shoulders. Ron instinctively felt himself closing the space between them, his hand sliding up her mostly bare back.

This was just getting weird. Weird, but really nice.  
Despite all their near-misses this year, they had never quite gotten to this point.

Hermione pulled back from his shoulder, looking at him straight-on. He had such nice eyes. Everyone always fixated so much on Harry's, but she had always liked Ron's. His hand reached up to her cheek as he leaned towards her slightly. Ron was better at this kind of thing than he gave himself credit for, she thought,  
closing the distance between them as a nervous little thrill shot through her. Their lips brushed-

Suddenly, there was a crash downstairs.

"TONKS!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

Hermione laughed, looking down.

"You better get dressed." She said, her voice sounding strangely pitched and shaky.

Ron looked at her--he didn't laugh. He looked disappointed and disoriented.

"Yeah. Sorry about that." He said, motioning between them.

"Ron," Hermione looked exasperated, "Don't apologize.  
It's just...we can never seem to get this right, can we?" Hermione said, looking at her feet.

Ron laughed.

"I should just jump out from behind a corner and snog you senseless sometime. Maybe no one else could mess it up for us then."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Fine with me." She said, looking rather mischievously pleased at the shocked look on Ron's face.

"I-I was kidding."

"I wasn't. Go get dressed." She ushered him out the door, still laughing at the look on his face.

Ron ambled away, and Hermione couldn't help wishing he'd really try that sneak-attack plan. The thought of kissing Ron passionately in some darkened corner-  
Hermione shiveed pleasantly. That was better than any of the other soppy romantic scenes she'd offhandedly wished for. Soppy and romantic wasn't very them anyway.

Come on, Ron, she thought to herself--surprise me.

A/N- Thanks for all the apples- no doctor for me this year! You guys are the best--thanks so much for the awesome reviews. Keep 'em up and I'll keep a-writing!  
Next chapter- wedding bells are ringing. 


	3. Spiffy Dress Robes& Attack of Bridezilla

Chapter Three Spiffy Dress Robes and the Attack of Bridezilla

As the ceremony drew nearer and nearer, the attitude prevalent in the Burrow was utter chaos.

"GABBY!" Fleur shrieked at the top of her lungs,  
nearly blowing Hermione and Ginny backwards (they'd had the bad luck of stumbling into her warpath).

Fleur's little sister looked into the room, her blue eyes wide.

"What ees it, Fleur?" She marched in, hurrying to her distraught older sister.

"Where have you put my shoes?" Fleur shook her little sister, looking dangerously close to coming unhinged.

"I have done nothing with them! Why would I touch your shoes?"

"I can't find them!" Fleur looked on the verge of tears.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh, honestly," she took her wand off the dresser,  
"Accio Fleur's shoes!" She waved her wand absently,  
the silver strappy sandals flying out from under the bed to Hermione's feet.

Fleur and Gabrielle looked over at her gratefully.

"Thank you...darling." Fleur had obviously forgotten Hermione's name.

"It's Hermione Granger, for the eighteenth time"  
Hermione said under her breath.

Ginny grinned at her.

"Now, now, Hermione, it's her wedding day." Ginny did an uncanny impression of Hermione.

"Oh, shut up"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley put the finishing touches on the backyard, and stood back proudly to admire their handiwork.

Fleur had initially not been pleased when she'd learned that the Burrow really was the safest and most practical place for the wedding. In fact, several large sulking fits came immediately to mind.

But eventually, she had come around and the backyard proved a surprisingly beautiful place for a ceremony.  
After A LOT of hard work on Mrs. Weasley's part, it was decorated to the nines. Completely de-gnomed as well, of course.

Fleur had picked rose pink and gold as the two theme colors, and every rose, place setting, and sparkling drapes reflected the theme. Gold fabric decorated the aisle she had set up between the two sections of chairs, and an arch of roses had been erected over where they would take their vows.

Bill had asked his father to precede over the ceremony, and Mr. Weasley nervously agreed.

"You know how I get with public-speaking." Molly remembered him saying after nervously agreeing to Bill's request.

But he had agreed, and was now dressed in the nicest dress robes he owned for the occasion.

As Arthur and Molly surveyed the backyard, she took his hand.

"It seems like yesterday we were bringing Bill home in his little blue baby blanket." Molly said, smiling with tears in her eyes.

"The first one of our boys...getting married." Arthur shook his head.

"I just hope he's ready."

"Molly, he's much older than we were."

"I know...besides, I suppose whether I want to admit it or not, this is the beginning of a war. I can see why they don't want to wait."

"Yes, dear--but tonight's not the night for worrying about that. Let's just enjoy ourselves before everyone has to go their separate ways."

"Not you and me." Molly leaned her head against his shoulder.

"No, Mollywobbles. Never you and me." He put his arm around her as they looked up at the sun setting in the distance.

"I look like a blimp." Ginny moaned, as Hermione zipped her into her gold bridesmaid dress.

She most certainly didn't, but teeny little Gabrielle prancing around the room in her matching dress wasn't helping her self-esteem much.

"You do NOT. Honestly, Gin, I wish I was skinny as you." Hermione sighed.

"Whatever. At least you can fill out a dress." Ginny looked enviously at Hermione's low cut neckline.

Hermione blushed self-consciously.

Fleur swept by them.

"Yes, my dear, you 'ave a very nice chest." Fleur said to Hermione, pushing her out of the way to give her make-up one last check as her mother fussed with her hair.

Hermione turned an even deeper red, tugging her dress up slightly.

"Muzzer, please!" Fleur snapped, as her equally blond,  
gorgeous mother put up her hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, girls- be honest. How do I look?" Fleur spun around, her platinum blond hair sweeping through the air in perfect waves.

"Just 'orrible." Gabrielle grinned wickedly.

Fleur's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"She's only joking with you, darling You look perfect!" Mrs. Delacour clapped her hands together happily.

"You look really nice." Hermione agreed.

Everyone looked at Ginny.

"Two thumbs way up." She said, and only Hermione could hear the slight sarcasm in her voice.

Fleur grinned at her reflection, obviously pleased.  
She stood, straightening out her silk white dress. The three Delacour girls shared excited smiles. Her mother placed on her veil, and hugged her tightly, wrapping her other arm around Gabrielle.Fleur threw her arms around her sister and mother as well.

"I'm turning blue!" Gabrielle choked out.

"Sorry, Gabby." Fleur smiled affectionately at her little sister, smoothing her long blond hair.

Hermione and Ginny looked at each other.

"Should we hug?" Ginny grinned.

Hermione laughed, putting her arm through Ginny's.

"Let's go find Ron and Harry." She suggested, and they left the Delacour women to bond.

"Well, Ron, I must say--those dress robes are a vast improvement." Harry said, as all of the boys straightened their ties and reluctantly fixed their hair into something presentable.

Harry didn't bother- he was well aware that any attempt to smooth down his hair was just signing on for a losing battle.

Ron turned around, in his nice new dress robes, blue instead of maroon this time.  
And no lace on the cuffs either.

"Ronnie, those really were frightening." Fred said,  
lounging on the couch in the living room and thoroughly wrinkling his robes.

"Yes, now we're no longer afraid our little brother actually enjoys dressing like a very frilly girl."

Ron shook his head at Harry.

"It's just jealousy talking." He grinned.

Bill stared at his mangled features critically.

"I really do look a fright, don't I?" He sighed, his long frame resplendent in black dress robes with an expensive sheen.

"No, mate. It's...rugged." Charlie thumped him on the back, grinning.

"I think zat ze scars are so sexy."

They all spun around, expecting to see Fleur, but only finding Ginny and Hermione.

"Ugh, Gin- you are getting weirdly good at that.  
You're going to give me a complex." Bill joked,  
messing up his sister's hair.

"Hey, it's a gift." Ginny said, slapping his hand away and smoothing her hair back down.

"Ron, hand me that tie." Charlie motioned vaguely over at the dresser, obviously uncomfortable in formal wear as he rolled up his sleeves.

Ron didn't answer. He was looking at Hermione with a slightly slack-jawed expression. She was still tugging at her dress, and didn't notice. Charlie grinned.

"Ronnie, put your eyes back in and hand me that tie."

Ron blinked.

"What? Sorry?"

"I said, stop staring at Hermione and give me that tie." Charlie said, smiling wider.

Everyone laughed as Hermione turned scarlet again.

Ron, with very red ears, handed Charlie the tie,  
mumbling something about "not staring"

Tonks looked in the mirror, trying to decide what she should do with her hair. She wrinkled her nose,  
turning it long and raven black. It fell shining over one shoulder, and she decided it looked nice with her dark purple dress.

"Guess what?" A familiar voice said from the her guest room's doorway.

She turned to see Lupin dressed in very nice dress robes. Her heart sped up slightly. She realized she had never seen him like this.

"What?" She finally managed to say.

"No tweed. Like it?" He asked, crossing to her and kissing her forehead.

"I'm all aflutter." She said, putting her hand to her heart dramatically.

"Seriously?" He said, absently playing with her now long hair.

"Seriously, you're making me not want to even go to the wedding." She assured him, straightening his tie.

"Likewise." He said, unashamedly looking her up and down.

She giggled.

"Hey, now."

"Sorry." He said, grinning.

"We should probably go." Tonks said reluctantly.

"Yeah. We should." He kissed her softly.

"On second thought, who's really going to notice if we're not there?" She shrugged.

"No one. We're superfluous really." He smiled.  
She laughed.

"Smart is so sexy."

She threw her arms around his neck...and, well, they were the last ones to file into their seats at the wedding.

A/N- Next chapter- I'll get around to the actual ceremony. I keep having way too much fun with the before stuff. Hee. Review please! 


	4. Nightmares, Fights, & Firewhiskey

Chapter Four Nightmares, Fights, and Firewhiskey

As everyone found their seats, a rather dramatic presentation of "Here Comes the Bride" began to play.

Harry looked backwards as the procession arranged themselves around the flowered arch to the music. Bill and Fleur had hired a band from Egypt called The Cleopatras. Apparently, they had danced to a song played by this band on their first date. Though a mildly gag-inducing story, Harry reluctantly admitted the all-girl band looked and sounded very cool.

Ginny had come down the aisle, accompanied by Charlie.  
Bill had included all four of his brothers as his groomsmen (Percy had been invited, but had neither shown up or even RSVP'd.) Gabrielle was accompanied by Ron, and Fred and George had been paired with Fleur's other bridesmaids- one girl as shockingly beautiful as her named Harmon, and a rather plain-looking girl by comparison, apparently Bill and Fleur's mutual friend,  
a bank teller named Gwen.

Now Fleur herself, accompanied by her tall,  
dark-haired father, came down the aisle. She looked as if she was actually glowing- whether that was some latent veela power or just plain happiness, Harry had no idea.

When she reached Bill at the end of the aisle and was given away by her father, Harry could see that Mrs.  
Weasley was already starting to tear up on the front row.

She wasn't the only one. Fleur could barely choke her way through her vows, holding Bill's hand tightly the entire time.

Fleur had written her own vows, and even though they were heart-tugging in their sincerity, Fleur's talents clearly did not lie in the written word. Harry noticed that when Fleur called Bill "her knight in ze shining armor", Ginny suddenly had a massive coughing fit,  
her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

Even Bill, who Harry thought might still be a little influenced by the daily fistful of magical painkillers he'd been subscribed, got very emotional. Mr. Weasley did a very nice job proceeding over the whole thing.  
Harry found magical ceremonies to be much like what he knew of Muggle weddings, until Mr. Weasley asked them to join hands and kneel down.

"What are they doing?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

"Unbreakable Vow. Common in magical wedding ceremonies. You're basically saying 'til' death do us part', but actually meaning it, unlike in most Muggle ceremonies."

"So if you split up..."

"You die." Hermione shrugged.

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Our lot really doesn't do things halfway."

"It doesn't HAVE to be a part of the ceremony...but I think it's beautiful. The bonds of marriage really mean something. I love that." Hermione smiled.

When the Vow was taken, Arthur pronounced them husband and wife.

"You may kiss the bride!" He said, looking relieved to have gotten through the whole thing.

Bill helped Fleur to her feet, and she nearly knocked him off his feet with a kiss.

Everyone clapped and cheered (or in Fred and George's case, cat-called) as the new couple walked back down the aisle, hand in hand.

The tables surrounding the dance floor were suddenly magically laden down with food. Everyone sat down at their seats assigned with little gold name tags .

As The Cleopatra's burst into a beautiful,  
piano-driven rendition of their very popular song "Love Like This", Fleur and Bill danced their first dance as husband and wife.

The dance floor had been set up farther down the lawn,  
and was bathed in romantic semi-darkness with pink and gold fairy lights around it. Everyone watched the couple dance together, both so ecstatically happy, and something about the moment was so blissfully peaceful that Harry felt a happy drowsiness settle over him, as he sat there between Ron and Ginny. The outside troubles he knew he was so close to facing suddenly seemed very distant.

He was surrounded by everyone he loved, in the place he felt the safest. He looked around the table, and saw Ginny watching her brother and sister-in-law dance, the lights from the dance floor reflecting in her eyes.

She was so gorgeous. Way too pretty for me, Harry thought to himself. Without really thinking, he put his hand over hers. She looked over at him, surprised.  
With a small smile, she laced her fingers through his and looked back at the dance floor.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who was happily stuffing his face.

"Ron?"

He looked up at her, cheeks full of food.

"Oh, THAT'S attractive." She laughed.

He took an enormous swallow, looking slightly indignant.

"It's good. If we don't eat it, it's rude."

"So the faster you eat it, the better manners you have?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

Ron nodded earnestly.

Fred and George came up to their table, holding two shots of Firewhiskey. Ron and Hermione gave them blank looks.

"You two are of age now--we thought we should usher you in with your first legal drinks."

Harry and Ginny looked over at this.

"No, no- Harry, you're the baby. No alcohol for little Harry yet. And Gin- if you think we'd let our darling little sister get wasted, you're sadly mistaken."

"Thanks." Ron said, taking it.

Hermione looked like she was about to say something,  
then stopped, taking hers as well.

"That's the spirit, Hermione!" George clapped her on the back "And nice dress, by the way."

Hermione smiled, until she looked down to see that her dress had stubbornly gotten lower and lower as the night had gone on.

She sighed, tugging it back up again.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically, drinking the shot in one sip.

Ron looked at her in awe for a second, then drank his as well.

"Well, there you go--kiddies no longer. Now we better take off before mum figures out that we brought you these." Fred said

They walked off, and the four friends fell into an awkward silence. Everyone seemed to be finishing dinner and making their way towards the dance floor.

"I'm thirsty." Ginny suddenly announced, standing up.

"I'll get you a drink." Harry offered.

"No, Prince Charming, I can do it myself." Ginny said,  
sounding vaguely irritated.

She walked off towards the kitchen.

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry.

"What's her problem?" Ron looked at Harry, his tone accusing.

"I dunno." Harry shrugged.

"Harry, am I going to have to give the "If-you-ever-hurt-my-little-sister-I'll-kill-you"  
speech? Because I've actually been perfecting it ever since you started dating her, and it's pretty good."

"Well...actually, we kind of broke up." Harry said,  
awkwardly messing with his napkin.

"Could've fooled me." Hermione said, obviously surprised Ginny had not shared this information with her.

"What'd you break up for?" Ron just looked confused.

"Well...it's not like I wanted to or anything--but I mean, with what we're going to do this year...it's just not the best time for me and her. Maybe when I get back-"

"Harry, this isn't really the time for "maybes" or "what ifs"! Anyone of us could be dead tomorrow"  
Hermione said, sounding exasperated.

"Yeah, Hermione, this is a great time to bring that up." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's true!"

"What about you two?" Harry shot back, obviously trying to change the subject.

"What about us?" Ron said, looking up.

"Well...you two took six years to even admit you liked each other, and you're saying I'm being a coward"  
"That's none of your business!" Hermione said, her voice raising slightly.

"Of course it's my business! I'm the one who has to put up with your stupid fights, and I'm the one you both come crying to when you're pissed off-- you two are the ones who are being cowards! I'm doing this to protect Ginny! What are YOU so afraid of?" Harry threw down his napkin, storming off.

Ron and Hermione sat there in shock, staring after him. A few of the other guests were looking over at their table curiously. Fleur looked angry they were stealing her thunder. Ron raised his glass with a slightly sarcastic smile at them, and most people looked away.

"Great. Angry Harry rears its ugly head again." Ron sighed, putting his glass back down.

Hermione didn't say anything.

Ron looked at her, and saw that she was visibly upset.

"Come on, Hermione. He's just stressed out about everything." Ron said, unsure whether it would be okay if he took her hand.

He patted her shoulder instead.

She looked at him.

"You don't think he's just a little bit right?"

"About what?"

She made an exasperated sound, rolling her eyes.

"About what, Ron? About US! Honestly, you are so impossible sometimes!"

"Well, what does he want us to do? Snog each other madly everytime we pass in the hallway?"

"No! You always make everything some big joke"  
Hermione said, looking away from him.

"Hermione, come on. What is it with everyone tonight?  
This might be the last time we're all together, and everyone's fighting."

"Fine, Ron. Just avoid the issue." Hermione said quietly.

"I don't want to avoid anything, I just want to have a good time! Do you want to...do you want to dance or something?" Ron said, in a last-ditch effort to stop this fight before it really started.

Hermione looked back at him, as if considering him for a moment.

"Yes, actually, I do want to." She finally said.

"And you said you can't dance." Tonks shook her head,  
one arm around Remus' neck, the other in his hand.

"Well, this isn't so bad." He relented.

"What kind of dancing were you expecting? The Electric Slide?"

"And who said I can't do that?"

"You are a man of many talents." She laughed.

They danced in silence for a moment, and Tonks leaned forward, her head on his shoulder.

"So you're really leaving tomorrow?" She asked, trying not to sound too forlorn.

"I think I have to. Or it will just seem too suspicious. I've been gone for too long already."

"Right. And it's nearly the full moon." Tonks said.

"You've been keeping track?" Lupin asked in her ear.

"Of course. It's almost time for you to sequester yourself, right?" She laughed.

Tonks had coined that term when Lupin had told her that he usually shut himself off from all contact,  
especially female, right before the full moon. Every since he had hit puberty, the transformation had affected him in very strange ways. His hormones had always gone absolutely berzerk before the full moon.  
Sirius had found this very amusing, especially when Lupin turned into a total stuttering idiot if any pretty girl crossed his path the day before the transformation.

Lupin had never found it quite as amusing.

"Right. But I mean...since I'm leaving tomorrow..." He started to say.

"And the day after tomorrow is the full moon..." She continued for him.

"I guess there's no harm in you coming to my apartment tonight." He finally finished, smiling at how awkward he was at all of this.

"I haven't been to your place in ages."

"Well, seeing as that's where this whole crazy thing got started..." Lupin shook his head, and they both smiled at the memory.

"I'd love to. Pre-wolf craziness or not"

Harry went into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

Ginny looked up at him from her perch on the counter with a start.

"Something bothering you?" She asked sardonically.

"Ron. Hermione. They're both just...so..."

"Infuriating?" Ginny finished for him, taking a sip of a clear liquid that Harry didn't think looked like water.

She saw him looking.

"You going to go tell my mum?" She giggled.

"I don't care." Harry shrugged.

She held out the glass to him.

"No, thanks." Harry said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter next to her.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, bugger it. Fine." Harry drank some of it as well.

Ginny laughed.

Harry closed his eyes, wincing slightly.

"So what's wrong?" He asked, his eyes still closed.

"In general with the world?" She grinned.

"No. Just with Ginny." He looked at her.

"I just...I hate this. I so did not want to be one of those couples who are always having some huge problem.  
And now we're being one of those annoying couples in relationship limbo. Are we dating? Are we not? Can we still be a couple until you leave? It all just gives me a headache."

"It's not that I wanted to break up-" Harry started to say.

"Harry, I KNOW. I get it. You're doing the noble hero thing."

"Don't say it like it doesn't mean anything. You know I have to do this."

"Yes, I do know. It's just..." Ginny looked down at her feet, her throat catching slightly.

"It's just what?"

"I've waited practically my whole life for you. And now you're leaving." Ginny said, swallowing hard.

"Gin-"

"How pathetic does that sound?" Ginny got off the counter.

"It doesn't sound pathetic." Harry said to her back as she crossed her arms away from him.

Sh finally turned around, and Harry was shocked to see that her eyes were slightly glassy.

"Yes, it does. Despite all my best efforts, you make me so pathetic. Yes, I know everyone thinks I'm the funny girl who doesn't care what people think about her--but I've always cared about what you think. And that's the whole problem- you make me act like a total idiot, and you're the only person I care about thinking I'm an idiot..." Ginny laughed humorlessly,  
"And now I'm not even making sense."

She turned around for the door.

"Ginny, just wait for two seconds!" Harry said, going after her and grabbing her arm.

"What? Harry, there's nothing else to say!" She asked,  
turning around.

They looked at each other, inches apart.

Harry's hand tensed on her arm as she leaned towards him slightly.

"This is just going to make it harder to go." Harry said breathlessly.

Ginny's face hardened.

"Well, God forbid I get added to your list of your problems." She said, pushing away from him.and walking out the door.

The wedding's festivities went on until past midnight.  
People started trickling off to disapparate. Charlie and the bridesmaid Harmon had disappeared some time ago. Harry looked around the backyard, his face set into a very surly expression.

Ron and Hermione had apparently made up-- he didn't see them anywhere. Ginny had staunchly been avoiding him, sitting at Fred and George's table and laughing loudly at all of their jokes.

"All right there, Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Lupin join him at his table.

"Not really." Harry said, relieved to be talking to someone who wasn't a teenager for ten seconds.

"Professor Lupin?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do you ever just feel...older than everyone else around you?"

Lupin smiled.

"Practically my whole life."

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Harry asked him.

"I have to."

"Have to. Responsibility. Messes up everything,  
doesn't it?"

Lupin smiled wearily.

"Yes, it seems to."

Tonks walked over to the table.

"Why the long faces, boys?" She asked, sitting between them.

"The real world keeps ruining everyone's night." Lupin told her.

"Something wrong, Harry?" She looked concerned.

Harry shook his head as if to say "don't-even-get-me-started."

"Remus...we should probably Apparate off. You have to leave early tomorrow." Tonks said, sensing Harry needed time alone to brood.

"Bye, Professor Lupin. Keep yourself in one piece"  
Harry said, shaking his hand.

"Same to you, Harry." Lupin put a hand on his shoulder as Tonks gave him a small wave good-bye.

Harry watched them walk off hand-in-hand.

Lupin woke up in a darkened room. He looked up at the ceiling, which was made entirely of glass. A full moon was slowly revealing itself behind a mass of clouds.

Where the hell was he?

He got to his feet, feeling his heart start to pound faster as the transformation began.

Suddenly, a light flicked on behind one of the walls,  
revealing it to to be made of glass. Severus was standing behind the wall, looking highly pleased with himself.

"Well, well. You finally wake up. And just in time"  
Snape looked up at the moon above them.

"What's going on?" Lupin demanded, his heart still beating quicker as his muscles started to ache and stretch.

"Just something I found highly amusing. Look, my dear Professor Lupin, you have a friend in there with you."

Lupin looked around the room, terrified. Tonks was sprawled out in the far darkened corner.

"What's wrong with her?" Lupin raced to her side,  
trying to ignore the effects of the transformation beginning.

"She's only asleep, Remus. She'll wake up just in time to see your face before you kill her."

As if on cue, Tonks rolled over drowsily, pushing her long dark hair out of her face as she opened her eyes.

"Remus...what's going on?" She asked drowsily,  
reaching out to him.

He backed away from her.

"Snape...don't do this." Lupin said, his voice weak as he broke out in a cold sweat.

"I found it all very poetic. She claims to love you for who you really are, I'm assuming? Well, now she can see who...or I suppose, what you really are"  
Snape crossed his arms, as if preparing to watch an entertaining show.

Tonks sat up, finally understanding what was going on.

Remus tried to find his voice, a million furious words ready to pour out of him, but he couldn't. He couldn't speak, he could barely think...

"Remus...this isn't your fault. Whatever happens, this isn't your fault." Tonks stood up.

"How touching." Snape said sarcastically.

She ignored him, walking towards Remus. He was staring at the moon rabidly, practically panting as the transformation took complete control.

"I love you."

He faintly heard her words echoing through the room before he couldn't even form coherent thoughts anymore.

The werewolf howled, a chilling, predatory sound, and looked at the woman standing before him. Prey. His prey.

As he ripped her to pieces, she didn't scream or cry out. Not once. The only sound was a low, horrible laugh from behind the glass.

Lupin eyes snapped open, suddenly and completely awake. It wasn't real. It hadn't happened. It was only a dream.

He looked at Tonks sleeping peacefully next to him.  
What was she playing at? He could kill her and not even know he had done it. Why had they ever told anyone about their relationship?

Why had they ever even tried any of this?

She sighed peacefully, rolling over, her arm splayed across his chest. He watched her sleep for a moment,  
overcome with how much he didn't deserve her.

He got out of bed, careful not to wake her. Lupin looked out the window at the sunrise. One more day until he became a monster.

He knew he should go before she woke up. They had said their goodbyes. And suddenly, he wanted to be as far away from anyone he loved as possible.

The nightmares were nothing new. He'd had them his whole life, but more frequently since the night when he had opened the door to find Tonks standing there in the rain, soaking wet, and saying simply, "I thought you could use a friend."

No, he didn't deserve someone like her. But he was still grateful for her...she had come at a time in his life when he had almost run out of reasons for waking up every morning.

Now he had a reason.

And now he had to leave her.

A/N- Please review! I know this was an angsty chapter,  
but hey, these guys live angsty lives. I had to admit that it couldn't be a fluff-for-all the entire time. I hope you still enjoyed--please let me know. 


	5. Parting of the Ways&Draco's Night Issues

A/N- So sorry about the delay everyone! I just started my freshman year at college, and life has been absolutely insane. I will try to keep updating regularly, but just now that I'm going through a very difficult life transition, but know that I'm still alive and will still keep writing this story! Thanks for sticking with it!

Picking Up the Pieces   
Chapter Five Parting of Ways and Draco's Nocturnal Issues

The next morning finally brought the thunderstorm that had been threatening Fleur's wedding. She and Bill were already happily apparated off to their honeymoon.

Hermione sat in the kitchen, staring at the window.  
Hypnotized by the rain against the glass, she pushed her spoon lazily around in her bowl of cereal.

Last night had been nice. Weird, but nice.

As if summoned by her thinking about him, a sleepy-eyed Ron stumbled into the kitchen. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and his blue eyes were slightly out-of-focus.

He saw her sitting there, and stopped.

"Morning." Hermione said, taking a bite of cereal.

"Hey." Ron poured himself a bowl of cereal, sitting acros from her.

"Sleep well?" She asked.

"Yeah. Well sort of. Harry and I got to talking"  
Ron lowered his voice significantly, "Got to talking about when we're going to leave."

"Soon, you think?" She replied in a whisper.

"The sooner the better. What are you going to tell your parents?"

"I don't really know. I mean, Hogwarts-wise, I'm an adult in a few months. And I know I couldn't just go home and bide time until we leave. We need to start looking soon. I've already been researching a tracking kind of spell we might able to reverse to possibly find the location of the Horcruxes. And also...well, a potion we could take so no one could find us."

"Sounds complicated."

"It is."

"And I guess...we can't really filch things from Snape's cabinets anymore." Ron said, shaking his head.

"We won't have to. We can get most of it ourselves."

"I know. It's just sinking in how big this all is."

"What are you going to tell your parents?"

"I don't know if I am going to tell them anything. Mum will have kittens, Dad's worried enough as is...I'll just leave them a note explaining."

"Very mature." Hermione grinned.

Ginny walked in then, her long red hair thrown into a messy bun.

Hermione and Ron both fell silent.

"No need to stop your super-secret planning on my account." Ginny sighed, getting an apple.

"Gin-"

"Seriously, I don't care."

Ginny had seemed to decide that if she feigned total apathy towards their little mission, it would be easier not to be included in it. She had barely even spoken to Hermione last night when they'd been getting ready for bed and going to sleep, and that was usually the time they got all their good girl talk in.

Hermione personally thought she was being a little immature.

Harry joined them then as well, looking very sleepy.

"Morning." He grunted, flopping down next to Ron.

"You look terrible." Ginny said with no emotion,  
looking at Harry.

"Thanks loads." Harry replied, picking at a plate of biscuits Mrs.Weasley had already layed out for them.

Mrs. Weasley walked into the kitchen then, carrying a plate of bacon and eggs.

"Well, don't we all look cheerful." She said, looking between them.

"Couldn't sleep." They all chorused.

"Too much wedding excitement?" She asked, sitting next to Ginny as Mr. Weasley bustled through the kitchen,  
getting ready for work.

"Yeah, that must be it." Ginny said, still looking at Harry, not angrily but rather as though he was the person her eyes naturally gravitated towards.

"It really was nice, wasn't it?" Mrs. Weasley said,  
smiling at them all.

"Really nice, Mrs. Weasley. Everything looked beautiful." Hermione finally said when no one else replied.

"Did everyone else already leave?" Ron looked out in the empty living room.

"Yes, dear. Charlie, Fred, George, and Kingsley had to apparate off to work early this morning. The Delacours also had to get back to France."

"What about Lupin and Tonks?" Ron asked.

"Well, I'm sure she wanted to give him a nice send off before he had to go to back to that dreadful assignment." Mrs. Weasley said, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm sure she did." Ginny giggled slightly.

Mrs. Weasley shot her a look.

"I'm off to work, darling," Mr. Weasley said, kissing Mrs. Weasley's cheek, "Bye, kids."

"Bye, Mr. Weasley." They all chimed in.

Hermione took the paper from the middle of the table,  
opening it so Harry and Ron could see it.

She quickly scanned the front page.

"Anything about him?" Harry asked, spitting the word "him" out as if it was the most vile curseword he could think of.

"No. Nothing."

"Dad says the Ministry can't even find one greasy hair from his head. And they've looked everywhere."

"It just doesn't make sense. Why would Snape blow the cover he's had for so long to bail an idiot like Malfoy out?" Ginny suddenly said.

No one had an answer.

Draco Malfoy lay sprawled out in bed, drenched with sweat from another nightmare. They all seemed so real...so close he could still feel Voldemort's cold fingers against his skin, making his Dark Mark burn until it bled...

Draco shuddered, rolling over onto his side.

He could hear Snape in the next room, quill scratching out against parchment.

"Draco." Snape's voice suddenly spoke.

Draco cleared his throat, sitting up.

"Yes, Professor?" He said into the air.

"No need to call me that anymore. We're not at school,  
nor shall we ever be returning. I merely wanted to let you know that you've been screaming in your sleep.  
It's weak, and very dangerous. I would suggest practicing your Occlumency more diligently."

"You said I was a natural at Occlumency." Draco said,  
getting out of bed, and walking into the next room,  
where Snape's back was to him.

Draco found it somewhat funny that Snape still wore his billowing black robes this late at night.  
Although, Snape wearing any kind of nightclothes was almost too hilarious to picture.

Draco fought down a smile at the mental image.

"You are very skilled at Occlumency, especially to be your age. But still having control of your mind during sleep is one the most difficult and advanced skills as Occlumens must acquire for their skill to be effective."

"Can you tell me how?" Draco asked, suddenly feeling very awkward just standing there.

They had been traveling together for several weeks now, and Snape still addressed him very formally. It was unnerving.

"Some other time. It's very late."

"What are you writing?" Draco asked suddenly.

"A diary entry." Snape replied sarcastically.

Draco smiled. Finally, he had cracked a joke.

"No, really."

"No, really it's none of your concern who my correspondents are, Mr. Malfoy."

"All right. Sorry. Can I write anyone? My mum, or my friends?"

"No. I've already informed your mother that we...you are quite all right and safe with me."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"I'm just going to..." Draco motioned towards his room.

Snape still didn't look at him.

"Night." Snape said shortly.

"Night." Draco gave him a small wave, then felt like an idiot, and gladly went back to his room.

Tonks sat at her desk, twirling a quill between her fingers. She just couldn't focus on the mound of paperwork in front of her.

So much for the life of Auror being all glamour and danger, she thought with a humorless laugh.

Kingsley came over to her desk.

"Hey there." He said, looking at her glum expression.

"Hey...shouldn't you be at the Minister's office?"

"I'm heading there now. You all right?"

She forced a smile.

"Yeah, of course."

"He left already?" Kingsley asked, leaning against her cubicle.

Tonks swallowed hard, feeling a sharp stab of pain in her chest.

"Yes. This morning."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She said, not really wanting to talk about this.

"Well, anyway--Demetrius asked me to give you this assignment. At least it'll get you away from the desk for a few days. Plus, it has some information you should find rather amusing." Kingsley handed her a red slip of paper.

"Thanks." Tonks said, scanning it curiously.

"Take care of yourself, Tonks."

"Yeah. Have a good day at work." She said absently,  
reading the paper with growing interest.

Ms. Nymphadora Tonks-

I would appreciate it greatly if you would acquire all the information possible on Regulus Black. We have reason to believe he may be, posthumously or not,  
instrumental in the search for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You might want to start with his childhood address, 12 Grimmauld Place.

-Mr. Demetrius Langner

Tonks tucked the piece of paper into her bag,  
gratefully leaving the mound of paperwork behind.

12 Grimmauld Place, she thought with a wry grin,  
however would she find it?

Sometime later that night, Hermione came into Ron and Harry's room.

Ron whipped around, pulling his covers over him.

"Hermione, you could knock occasionally. What if we hadn't been dressed?"

"Do you and Harry regularly hang out half-dressed"  
She raised an eyebrow.

"You're onto us." Harry said, from behind a book.

She sat down on the end of Ron's bed, and Harry lowered his book.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I just...I think we should leave soon. There's loads to do, and wasting time isn't getting us any closer to stopping Voldemort."

Ron, for once, didn't wince.

"What, like, leave tonight?" Ron looked at her,  
surprised.

She shrugged.

"I'm ready." Harry said softly.

"I mean, Harry, you've already been to the Dursley's for the last time, and you said you wanted to...go see where you parents are buried, right?"

"Right."

"Well, Ron and I could go get the supplies we need while you're there, meet up with you, and then we could start trying to find the rest of the Horcruxes.  
I've already got an idea of a spell we could try."

"Sounds like a good plan." Harry nodded. He'd been ready to go since they had gotten here.

Ron looked a little nervous.

"Ron, if you don't want to go-"

"Of course I'm going. J-Just let me write a note to my parents and pack up my things."

"I'll go get my things together as well. Let's meet downstairs in thirty minutes." Hermione nodded,  
getting up to leave.

"Ginny asleep?" Harry asked after Hermione as she went to leave.

"Yes." Hermione looked at him with a sad expression.

"All right. We'll meet you downstairs."

Later that night, as the full moon shone down over the lawn, the three friends made their way to the woods by the Burrow. Harry was going to apparate to Godric's Hollow, and Ron and Hermione were going to Apparate to Diagon Alley. Ron had assured her he would take all of his body parts with him this time.

They all stood there for a moment, all feeling suddenly very small in the face of such an adult task.

"We'll send you an owl when we're coming, mate." Ron said, clapping a hand on Harry's shoulder.  
"Be careful, Harry." Hermione hugged him tightly.

"You two watch your back as well. See you soon."

And with those parting words, Ron grabbed Hermione's hand and they disappeared from sight. Harry took a deep, steeling breath. He was finally going home.

The next morning, Ginny awoke to find a letter on her bedside table, her name scrawled in Harry's distinctive handwriting on the envelope.

He was gone.

A/N- Please review! 


	6. Sacrifices and the Unknown Trio

A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys! It really means a lot to me.

Picking Up the Pieces -  
Chapter Six Sacrifices and the Unknown Trio

"Is that everything?" Ron scanned the list of ingredients Hermione had made.

"Yes. I think so. I mean, my bank account is practically cleaned out, but I think that's everything."

"Good. So what now?"

"We need a place where we can stay the night"  
Hermione said, folding up the list and putting it in her bag.

Ron blinked.

"Like...just you and me?"

Hermione grinned.

"Down boy."

Ron turned bright red.

"T-That's not what I meant..."

"I know. I was kidding."

Ron tried to erase some rather interesting mental pictures that had just flashed through the back of his mind, clearing his throat.

"We could ask Fred and George...they have an apartment above their store, they might let us stay with them."

"Great. Let's go."

They arrived at Fred and George's joke shop, their arms full of bags, Ron opening the door for her with some effort.

Business was booming as usual, and it was quite a chore to finally reach the twins at the very back of the store, selling two very pretty, giggly girls on their new products.

"Not that you two lovely ladies would need it, but we also have a new line of beauty products that- Ronnie!  
Hello, little brother! And Hermione- well, you just get better-looking everytime we see you. Pleasure to see you both. Now. What the hell are you doing here?  
It's the middle of the summer."

"Hey, Fred. We need to talk to you two." Ron pushed past the two rather affronted girls.

"Alone." Hermione added.

Fred and George looked at each other with raised eyebrows. They shrugged in unison.

"Come into our office. Excuse us, ladies." George slyly winked at the two girls, ushering Ron and Hermione into the back storage room.

Ron and Hermione set down all their bags, sitting down on stacks of boxes labeled with Weasley Wizard Wheezes logos.

Fred and George leaned against the wall opposite them.

"So...guessing this isn't just a "I love my big brothers so much I couldn't be away from them another second" kind of thing?" George asked.

"No, not exactly." Ron sighed.

"Well, then, why the long faces?"

"We need a place to stay. Just for tonight." Hermione said.

Fred and George waited for further explanation.

"What's the problem? You two finally got hitched and don't have enough money for a place of your own?"

"What? No. Nooooo. NO." Ron said, his voice squeaking strangely.

Hermione laughed.

"No, nothing like that. Harry, Ron, and I are trying to find the objects that will make Voldemort mortal again. So Harry can finally defeat him. But, Harry wanted to...see where his parents are buried before we started on all this. And Ron and I are trying to make a tracking potion to find out where they could be. And we obviously can't do that at the Burrow. And we don't have enough money to get our own room. So we were wondering if we could stay at your place."

"Just for one night. Then we'd be out of your hair"  
Ron added on.

Fred and George looked at each other, taking this all in.

"That sounds really dangerous." George finally said,  
in an uncharacteristically adult tone of voice.

"Yeah, we're aware." Ron rolled his eyes.  
"Look, Harry's the only chance the wizardering world has left. And we're doing everything we can to help him. All we're asking is that you do the same"  
Hermione stood up, looking at them.

There was a long silence. Finally-

"Yeah, of course. Anything we can do." Fred patted her on the shoulder, and they led them up the back stairway to their apartment.

Ginny woke up the next morning to her mother shaking her frantically.

"Ginny, darling, wake up!"

"Whazzamatter?" Ginny mumbled, rolling over.

"Harry, Hermione...Ron! They're not here! There's a note from your brother- it's says they've gone to stop Voldemort--oh Ginny, did you know anything about this?"

Ginny's eyes fell on her letter from Harry on her bedside table. Blushing slightly, she nonchalantly slid a book on top of it, making it look as if she was using the table to sit up. She didn't really want her mother reading everything in the letter.

"Yes, I knew about it."

"GINNY WEAS-"

"What, mum? What did you want me to do? They're adults."

"No, they're not! Not yet!"

"Mum, those three have been adults since they were eleven years old. You know that. If anyone can do this...they can. And I hate that my brother, the only girl I've ever really called my friend, and...well,  
Harry had to do this. But that's the way it is. And I wanted to go with them. I would've. But someone's got to stay behind...someone has to lead Dumbledore's Army."

"Dumbledore's what?"

"Never mind, mum."

"Ginny, you're not making any sense. Where have they gone?"

"To stop Voldemort. To find the Horcruxes. That's all I know. Now please...just leave me alone."

"No, I'm not going to leave you alone! Are you going to go running off on some crazy suicide mission?"

"It's not a suicide mission! Don't say that! Harry's the only chance we've got! He can do this! He's not going to die! None of them are going to die!" Suddenly Ginny was yelling, and she had no idea why she was getting so worked up.

Her mother looked at her for a long moment.

"What happened between you and Harry this year?" Mrs.  
Weasley asked softly.

Ginny bit her lip hard. She couldn't believe this. For the second time in a week, she was about to cry. This past week excluded, she couldn't even remember the last time she had cried.

"Mum, please, I don't want to talk about this. I know you fancy yourself the relationship doctor of everyone but-"

"I'm your mother. Who else are you going to talk to?"

"Just leave me alone." Ginny looked stubbornly away from her.

One more word, and she knew she was going to start bawling. And she just couldn't do it. If she finally let herself feel how scared and upset she was...she just knew she couldn't take it.

Mrs. Weasley finally nodded, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Ginny. I'm always here if you need me."

Ginny just nodded.

Her bedroom door closed softly.

Tonks sat cross-legged on the floor of Grimmauld Place, sifting through yet another box of Black family heirlooms.

She could feel a headache coming on from all the dust,  
and so far had not found anything about Regulus Black.  
Next to her, she had stacked anything of interest- an old music box stuffed to the brim with jewelry,  
including a beautiful locket she couldn't quite pry open, a extensive knife collection, and a collection of silverware embossed with the Black family crest.  
All very cool stuff- but nothing even remotely connected to Regulus Black.

She got up to pull another box from the shelves, and in the process, managed to trip and spill the contents right onto her head.

"Bloody HELL!" Tonks yelled, seeing stars swirling in front of her eyes as she lay sprawled out on the floor.  
She felt a heavy weight on her stomach. She looked down, her head pounding. It was a thick, leather-bound book with no title.

Sitting up slowly, blinking to stop the room from spinning, she opened the book. The pages were all blank. She flipped through it, feeling a strange prickle crawl up her spine. There was some kind of dark magic in this connected...years of Auror training had honed this instinct in her, and now it was buzzing to an almost painful degree.

Suddenly, a picture fluttered from the pages to the floor.

Tonks picked up, inexplicably feeling her hand shaking slightly.

She turned it over, revealing a wizardering picture of three teenagers standing in front of what looked like a fireplace in a dungeon. She saw a snake engraved into the wall.

The Slytherin common room. It was two teenage boys and a girl.

One of the boys was unmistakably a young Severus Snape. The girl had long blond hair and sharp,  
chiseled features. She was beautiful in an almost supernatural sense. The other boy had a wide, roguish grin, dark shaggy hair, and elegantly handsome features.

"Regulus. There you are." Tonks said quietly.

Suddenly, there was a creak on the staircase outside the room.

Tonks spun around, drawing out her wand instinctively.

A woman, creepily reminescent of the picture, stepped into the room. Her long blond hair fell streaming over one shoulder, and her thin fingers were clutched tightly around her wand.

"Find anything of interest?" Narcissa Malfoy asked in a tone of cool elegance.

Harry walked up to the front porch of the house he'd pictured so many times in memory and dreams, and tried to stop his heart from beating out of his chest.

His parent's house. His home.

It was completely deserted. Harry had wondered on his journey to Godric's Hollow if anyone would be living here now. But it was empty.

Empty and open, as if no one had set foot in it after the day his parent's funeral had been held here.Maybe no one had. He walked through the house, his throat uncomfortably tight. Their things were still here. The kitchen his mother had cooked in...his father's coat still hung on the hook...his high chair was still at the table. It was as if no one could bear to move everything out. He knew he couldn't. Their memories of the happy family that had once been here should stay undisturbed.

Finally, he reached the backdoor. He looked through it, seeing a sprawling backyard with overhanging trees, and a swingset.

And under the tallest tree stood one gravestone.

Harry pushed the door open. The sound of crickets chirping and leaves rustling were all that reached his ears.

His feet crunched in the dry grass as he made his way across the lawn. It was a hot summer afternoon, but Harry couldn't stop his hands from trembling.

Finally he reached his parent's graves. He got on his knees, his hands on the cool stone.

The epitaph was apparently written by them before their death. Harry swallowed hard. They had known.  
They had known it was coming.

JAMES AND LILY POTTER

TO OUR HARRY- NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND WHAT YOU KNOW TO BE RIGHT. WE LOVE YOU.

TO OUR FRIENDS- THANK YOU FOR THE KIND OF HAPPINESS FEW EVER FIND.

TO THE ORDER AND DUMBLEDORE- WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE FOUGHT BESIDE YOU ALL.

Harry leaned his back against the grave, feeling tears in his eyes. He was finally alone, finally allowed to feel everything he'd kept inside for years. His parents. Sirius. Dumbledore. They'd all faced death bravely, faced it because of a fight they knew they might not win, but they'd fought just the same.

And now...maybe it was his turn. Maybe this foreboding feeling in his stomach was just what his parents had felt before they'd sacrificed themselves for him.  
Everything in his life, every sacrifice that had been made for him, had led him to this moment...to this final task.

He wasn't going to let them down. He wasn't going to let their sacrifices count for nothing.

He was going to face what his whole life had been preparing him to face.

No matter what the outcome.

A/N- Please review! 


	7. NightwithG&FNarcissa'sDirtyLittleSecrets

A/N- Sorry about the delay- my college play opens in four days. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Thanks for sticking with my story!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Seven A Night with Gred and Forge & Narcissa's Dirty Little Secrets --

"Nice place you've got." Ron looked around the apartment approvingly.

"Thank you, we know." Fred flopped down on the couch,  
looking over the day's earnings.

Hermione set down her twelve shopping bags full of materials, shooting Ron a reproachful look.

"Thanks for all the help, Ronald." She muttered,  
starting to unload everything.

"How are we going to mix all this, Hermione? It's not like they just have a cauldron lying around."

"We could have a cauldron. Maybe I like to take baths in a big me-sized cauldron." George grinned.

"I bought us a smaller one, remember? We only need enough for three people to drink the anti-tracking potion."

"So you're just mixing something so Mummy and Daddy can't find you?" Fred asked, still flipping through the daily ledger.

"Yes, essentially. Nothing can compromise this once we get started."

"What about the Horcruxes? You said there'd be a way to find them." Ron looked over at her, eating from a box of cereal that was sitting open on the counter.

"I said I thought there'd be a way to find them."

"Yeah, but you're Hermione Granger, so odds are, if you thought it..." Ron smiled at her.

"I had to get Professor McGonagall to authorize this at the end of last year, but well...before the funeral, she and I administered Veritaserum to Slughorn to get him to tell us absolutely everything he knew about Horcruxes. And he mentioned that if you can acquire one, there's a spell called Revelio Fracturis that will show where the next Horcrux is. So we can find them all if we just start with one."

"But...Hermione, we don't have one. The locket Harry found was a fake."

"I know, Ron. But think back. We know where one is."

"Where?" Ron looked at her blankly.

"Malfoy Manor. A certain diary your little sister got possessed by...ring a bell?"

"But Harry already destroyed that one."

Hermione sighed.

"I KNOW he did, Ronald, but it's the only way we're going to find the next Horcrux."

"Oh."

Fred and George looked over from where they were preparing dinner.

"Wait a minute...let me get this straight...you three are traipsing off to Malfoy Manor? The home of evil incarnate?"

"I'm not scared of Draco. And his dad's rotting away in prison." Ron said defensively.

"What about his dear mum? I mean, she may be a M.I.L.F., but she's still completely evil. Plus, I'm sure there's all sorts of defensive spells protecting the house. Or manor, pardon me." Fred plopped down on the couch again.

"We'll have Harry with us. He's gotten through worse"  
Hermione said, but her voice was shaking slightly.

As if on cue, Harry's head suddenly appeared in the fireplace.

The three Weasleys and Hermione nearly jumped out of their skin.

"So I see you haven't taken the anti-tracking potion yet." Harry said, grinning.

"We were just making it--how did you know we were here?"

"You're very predictable. And how many places could you possibly be in Diagon Alley? I didn't really figure you two for getting a hotel room together"  
Harry said, smiling suggestively.

"So...where are you now?" Ron leaned down by the fireplace to talk to him, his ears reddening slightly.

"A wizarding hotel outside Godric's Hollow. It's pretty crappy, but it was hooked up to the Wizarding Network."

"Do you want to just apparate over here?" Hermione leaned down as well.

"What do you think this- rooms for lease?" Fred shook his head.

"Sorry, Fred, George- do you mind if Harry stays as well?" Hermione looked over her shoulder at them.

"No, no, invite the entire British navy, you know,  
whatever suits you." George said, laughing.

"All right, hold on." Harry's face disappeared from the fire.

A few moments later, he apparated into the room,  
rather unceremoniously tumbling to the ground.

"How are you so good at that? You haven't even taken the apparitition test." Ron shook his head, helping him up.

"It's a gift." Harry said, brushing off his track jacket.

Hermione looked over at him.

"Everything go all right?' She asked in a would-be casual voice.

"Yes...it was nice." Harry said, obviously not wanting to discuss it further.

"Well, good. Here, Ron, take this over and start it at a boil- I'll explain to Harry about the Horcruxes"  
Hermione handed Ron the small cauldron.

Ron looked at it, slightly confused. George pointed his wand at it, muttering something and it set to a nice simmering boil.

"The Malfoy Manor, huh?" Harry leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms.

"It's the only way I could think of, Harry. We don't have a chance if we don't destroy them all."

"No...I know. Never thought we'd get to see the inside of dear Draco's house." Harry said his name with more than a trace of bitterness.

"He's probably not even there. Probably too busy traveling around as Snape's lackey." Ron pointed out.

The mention of Snape seemed to galvanize Harry.

"When are we leaving?"

"As soon as we can get this anti-tracking potion done.  
It has to set until morning, so we might as well just relax until then."

"So you three are not going back at all this year"  
Fred looked over at them.

"No. I think this is more important."

"So little Gin is the only remaining Weasley at Hogwarts. That's kind of depressing--it seemed like we'd never run out of siblings to inhabit those hallowed halls." George sat down in the armchair next to the couch.

"Ginny's going to be bored to tears, sitting on her hands while the rest of us are fighting." Fred said with an affectionate smile.

"Nah, Fred, she'll get some new boyfriend to keep her company. She's really racking them up, apparently"  
George laughed.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shifted around awkwardly.  
Fred and George noticed.

"What?" They asked in creepy twin unison.

"Well...Ginny does have a new boyfriend." Hermione said rather lamely.

"Who? Say anyone from Slytherin and she's disowned."

"Harry." Hermione said.

Harry looked determinedly at his feet.

"Harry what?" Fred looked confused.

"Harry and Ginny are going out." Hermione said,  
exasperated.

The twins looked at each other, shocked expressions on their faces.

"No way."

"How did we end up in one of Ginny's fantasies?" Fred laughed.

"How did this happen?" George sputtered.

"He snogged her in front of everyone in the common room after Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup. It was very disturbing." Ron shook his head.

"You said you didn't mind that we were going out"  
Harry looked at him, affronted.

"Yes, but snogging in public?"

"Oh, yeah, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you,  
Won-Won?" Harry shot back.

"Whoa, boys, no need to break out the pet names for each other." George looked between them, smiling.

"It's what Ron's girlfriend called him." Harry explained.

Fred and George started laughing so hard they nearly fell out of their chairs.

"This friendship's over." Ron looked at Harry, but Harry could tell he was about to laugh as well.

Hermione didn't look that amused.

"Well, cheers, Harry. If you ever break her heart,  
we'll kill you and all that." Fred laughed, raising a glass of Wizard's Wine he'd poured himself.

"Agreed." Harry said.

He really hoped that Ron and Hermione wouldn't mention that he'd already sort of broken up with her. It wasn't a break-up so much as a break. So he didn't think that counted. Never mind that he hadn't ever properly said good-bye.

No, he didn't think Fred and George would much appreciate that particular fact.

--

"Find anything of interest?"

Tonks backed up slightly, her heart thudding. Narcissa Malfoy was a woman she had often heard of but never actually encountered. She was creepily pretty- her features so perfect that Tonks instantly felt very,  
very ugly.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Tonks put the picture in her shoulder bag, keeping her other hand firmly on the wand.

"Give that to me." Narcissa said, her teeth gritted.

"What's the big deal? It's just a picture." Tonks shrugged.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Narcissa said, the vein in her forehead starting to throb, her beautiful features contorted.

"Keep your shirt on. What's so bad about me finding some stupid picture? So you were friends with Sirius'  
little brother and the greasiest Slytherin in existence. Who cares?"

"You shut up. You have no idea what you're talking about. You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Tonks snorted.

"What, is your big bad husband going to get me fired from the Ministry? Oh...wait, he can't do much of anything right now, can he? Rotting away in some prison cell, it's really hard for me to be scared of him."

"Who the hell are you?" Narcissa said, so angry that she looked positively frightening.

Using a non-verbal spell Narcissa clearly wasn't anticipating, Tonks stunned her. Narcissa hit the ground, a shocked expression on her face. Tonks used another spell to bind her ankles and wrists with magically-bonded chains.

She stood over her, grinning, her arms crossed.

"Nymphadora Tonks. Ministry Auror. At your service."

--

Demetrius and Tonks stood outside Narcissa's cell,  
looking at her chained and bound to a hard metal chair.

"So you think she knows about Regulus Black AND the possible location of Severus Snape?" Demetrius looked at her skeptically.

"I'm telling you, sir, they were friends. At Hogwarts.  
I found a picture of the three of them. Maybe they've kept in touch."

"And you imprisoned her on a hunch?"

"I always trust my hunches, sir. You know that." Tonks grinned winningly.

"Well, any woman who would marry a Death Eater and even go so far as to produce a miniature one...yes, my dear. Go ahead and question her."

"I was actually thinking of doing the Cognitive spell,  
sir."

Demetrius looked surprised for a moment, rubbing a hand through his closely-cropped gray hair. 

"Are you sure about that, Nymphadora?"

"Yes."

"You know the risks involved?"

"Of course, sir."

He took her arm, leading her away from the window into the padded cell.

"If you go into her head with that spell, you know she can also come into yours. You can read her thoughts...her innermost secrets. But she can also see everything in your mind."

Tonks looked at her feet for a moment.

"If there's anything you wouldn't want her to know"  
He said softly.

Tonks looked up.

"I'm not hiding anything."

"You could use a Pensieve before administering the spell."

"There's no time for that, sir. Finding Severus Snape is imperative to the Ministry." She said,  
uncharacteristically serious.

"Very well, Nymphadora. Whenever you're ready, she's all yours." Demetrius patted her shoulder, and walked away.

Tonks squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath.

"How many times do I have to tell him to call me Tonks?" She muttered, her hand on the door to the prison cell.

--

A/N- Next time--we get to take a trip down Tonks' and Narcissa's very different memory lanes. Please leave me a review!


	8. Hermione's Bad Cooking&Moody Mrs Malfoy

A/N- Opening night of my play is done! I will finally reacquaint myself with something called "free time!" I hope to get updates more quickly now- thanks to everyone who's kept reading.

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Eight Hermione's Bad Cooking and Moody Mrs. Malfoy

The next morning at Fred and George's, a gloomy,  
cloudy sun spilled weakly through the windows.

Harry and Ron were sharing the fold out bed, sleeping as far away from each other as possible. Hermione was sleeping above them on the couch.

The three friends had stayed up until the early morning hours. It seemed like it had been months since all three of them had had the chance to really just talk. Harry had even touched on the subject of Sirius'  
death, which Ron and Hermione couldn't remember him EVER talking about. It was nice...it was as if the trio was reunited as a team before they went on a journey like the one they were about to attempt.

Hermione woke up late the next morning. She had that odd half-moment of recollection where you wake up somewhere unfamiliar and forget where you are.  
Stretching and blinking in the weak light, she kicked off her blanket.

"The potion!" She muttered under her breath, carefully stepping over a still-sleeping Ron.

Harry, Fred, and George were eating breakfast in the kitchen. They looked up as she entered.

"Nice hair." Fred laughed.

She smoothed her rather frightening sleep-mussed curls, blushing slightly.

"It's all right, Hermione. That's how mine always looks." Harry shrugged.

"How's the potion?" She said, walking over to the stove.

"Bubbling away. That ruddy stuff smells." George cast it a disgusted look.

"Good. Then it's done." She said, happily pouring three glasses from the cauldron.

"Why is everything you make us absolutely disgusting"  
Harry sighed.

"Pity her husband." Fred grinned.

Ron stumbled into the kitchen then, bleary-eyed.

"Morning all. What smells?" Ron collapsed in the chair next to Harry.

"Here, Ron, get some pumpkin juice ready. We're going to have to drink that stuff." Harry slid him a glass.

Hermione shot them a look, handing them both glasses of her tracking concoction.

"Bottoms up, boys." She smiled, downing hers and trying to force her face into a smile.

Harry and Ron weren't buying it. They looked at each other dubiously.

"Cheers, Harry." Ron clinked his glass with Harry's,  
drinking it as fast as he possibly could.

It tasted weird and slippery, like sucking down a worm. It had a disgusting aftertaste, that was half-spicy, half-coppery.

"I'm gonna puke." Ron said after a huge swallow.

"Don't! I'll have to make more!" Hermione held him down.

"Pass the bacon, please." Harry choked out.

Hermione sat down next to Ron.

"So what are we going to do to get there? I'm willing to bet they have anti-apparition spells everywhere around that place."

"Well, it can't be too hard to find. It's probably repulsively big." Harry said.

"Wait, wait--you're looking for Ye Olde House of Malfoy?" Fred said through a mouthful of eggs.

"Yeah. What, do you summer there or something?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"No, no...Dad mentioned where it was. Remember last year when he checked it out for Dark Arts?"

"Of course."

"He mentioned something about having to make the trip to Darkmoor."

"Apparating would be difficult even to the town,  
especially for people who have just started doing it.  
None of us have ever even been there, or have any idea what it looks like." Hermione sighed.

"We'll take the train. The regular old train. I mean,  
it'll be long, but-" Harry shrugged.

"I guess. I should have brought Mad Libs." Hermione smiled.

"What?" Ron looked at her.

"Never mind. Muggle thing. I'm going to go shower, if that's all right?" She looked at Fred and George.

"No singing." Harry and Ron said at the same time.

"Oh, shut up." She glared, taking one last bite of egg and leaving.

--

Draco came into the room with another armful of books.

"Damn it!" Snape said, closing yet another book from his library.

"W-What's wrong, sir?" Draco looked at him, unsure whether to sit down or not.

"I'm having difficulty locating something. Obviously"  
Snape put his fingers to his temples, his eyes closed.

He was apparently deep in thought, and Draco knew better than to interrupt him.

"We need to go to the Malfoy Manor." Snape finally said.

"What? My house? Why?"

"I have to ask your mother something. And we have to locate the first Horcrux, before anyone else tries to use it to find the others."

"The first Horcrux? What are you talking about?"

"That diary. Tom Riddle's. Your father kept it in his posession, I'm hoping?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Good. We leave tonight."

--

Tonks crouched down in front of Narcissa.

"Hello again, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa glared. If looks could kill, Tonks thought with a slight smile.

"I'm about to perform the Cognitive Spell on you.  
Again."

Narcissa told Tonks to do something very rude.

"Well then, Miss Manners, let's get started." Tonks lifted up her hands, placing them on either side of Narcissa's temples.

"You know the drill by now. Tell me where Severus Snape is and what you know about Regulus Black, and none of this will be necessary." Tonks said.

Narcissa said nothing.

"Tell me." Tonks said, holding on to her face, forcing her to make eye contact.

Still, she said nothing.

"Then I don't have a choice." Tonks shrugged, closing her eyes.

"Cognito." Tonks whispered, holding on to Narcissa's temples as tightly as she could.

In the few other times Tonks had performed this spell,  
a sensation like a cool breeze passed over her, and then memories from the suspect began to fly in front of her eyes like images in a flip book. And everytime she had performed it on Narcissa, the pages went by too fast to mentally catch one of them for examination. But no cool breeze. Nothing.

She pushed her fingers harder into Narcissa's skin.

"COGNITO!" Tonks practically shouted.

Suddenly, Narcissa's skin began to burn with a hot,  
pulsing sensation. So hot it nearly burned Tonks'  
fingers. She jumped back, frightened. This was unprecedented.

"What are you doing?" Tonks demanded, massaging her slightly blistered fingers.

Narcissa's face curved up in a smile.

"There's no countercurse to this spell." Tonks said,  
stunned.

Narcissa looked incredibly pleased with herself.

"What are you doing?" Tonks asked again.

"Protecting what's mine." Narcissa hissed.

The two women glared at each other for a long, quiet moment.

"And don't even think of Veritaserum. I've thought of that as well. Severus discovered a counterpotion to that some time ago, and I take it every month"  
Narcissa smiled proudly.

"Cognito wouldn't be put off by something like that"  
Tonks said, thinking out loud.

"No, I'm just more powerful than you. Ministry Auror...you really are a shabby bunch. I better you think pretty highly of yourself. Cute, really. What are you--nineteen?" Narcissa spoke in silky,  
patronizing tones.

"Twenty-three. And I don't see what you have to be so high and mighty about. You'll get tired. Everyone gets tired. Whatever secret you're protecting...we're going to find out what it is. If you want to do it the hard way, then fine by me." Tonks turned around, exiting the holding cell.

Demetrius looked at her curiously.

"Still no luck?" He said, looking through the window.

"I couldn't get in. She's protecting something.  
Something big. And I'm willing to wager it's about Snape or Regulus."

"So what do you propose we do? Veritaserum?"

"No...she mentioned that she's already taken a counterpotion to that."

"Damn." Demetrius put his hands in his pockets.

Tonks put her hands over her eyes, thinking for a moment.

"Sir, I need permission."

"To do what?"

"I need to request leave. Just for a few days."

"What for, my dear?"

"I know someone who could help us."

"And who might that be?"

"Remus Lupin."

Demetrius' brow furrowed.

"That werewolf teacher who was fired from Hogwarts?  
Whatever use could he be?"

"Sir, it's nowhere near the full moon. The fact that he's a werewolf doesn't matter. He went to school with Severus. He might've known her as well. And he's very talented at Occlumency. Cognito's just a branch off of that...he's had more experience than I have. I think...I know he could do it. I've worked with him before."

"We have many highly trained Aurors proficient in the art of Occlumency, Nymphadora."

"Sir...I think he could do it. I really do. And I always-"

"Trust your hunches. Right. How could I have forgotten? Very well, Nymphadora. Stop by my office this afternoon, and I'll have a Request Form for leave of absence. I could probably only let you off for three days at the most."

"That's fine."

"You know of his location, I'm assuming?"

"I can set up a meet with him."

"You can't send any incriminating mail, Nymphadora."

"No, I know that. We...we became...friends over the last few years. We set up a way to meet each other if we ever needed to exchange information."

"All right. Well...as I said, drop by later and I'll have that form for you."

"Thank you so much. You won't be sorry. He'll get us the information."

"I do hope he's worth all this trouble, my dear"  
Demetrius looked at her strangely for a moment, and then walked away.

"So do I." Tonks said under her breath.  
--

A/N- Well, I was going to let us into Narcissa's mind,  
but she was being stubborn. Don't worry- good old Lupin is a reliable guy. Next chapter- awkward run-ins at the Manor, and Lupin returns. Please leave me a review! 


	9. A Funny Thing Happened on the WayManor

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! My roommates' gone, so I'm on a bit of a writing frenzy. Hope everyone enjoys.

Picking Up The Pieces Chapter Nine A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Manor

--

Remus Lupin lay on his miserable little clump of blankets, shivering. Greyback had decided that they all needed their rest before the full moon hit. It was a hard, cold night, and sleeping in a cave was not the best way to combat that.

But he was making progress, and he was proud of that.  
He had already began talking, covertly, with several members of the group of werewolves under Greyback. He had been very careful about who had selected to talk with, and several had proved responsive. Not every werewolf was so convinced that maiming people was their greatest calling in life.

He rolled over onto his side, pulling the blanket over his increasingly thin frame. Suddenly, he heard something rustling near him in the cave. He opened his eyes, and was shocked to see the glowing form of a huge werewolf in front of him.

It took him a moment to register what it was. Tonks'  
patronus.

"What's wrong? Is she all right?" Lupin sat up, his bleary eyes suddenly bright with worry.

"She requests a meeting at night tomorrow. Nine o'clock." The Patronus relayed the message.

"But she's all right?" Lupin demanded.

The Patronus nodded.

Lupin sighed, relieved.

"Yes. Tell her, yes."

And the werewolf figure was gone.

--

Ginny walked through the streets of Hogsmeade, laden down with shopping bags.

"You excited about your sixth year?" Her mother, also with arms full of bags (now that there was no one else going back, Mrs. Weasley had decided to give Ginny the Weasley royal treatment) asked.

"Not really." Ginny said honestly.

They walked in silence for a moment, as Ginny saw other students from Hogwarts walking through the crowded streets. Everyone seemed solemn and quiet,  
there was no trace of the usual excitement that filled the air before the school year began.

"You still haven't heard from them?" Her mother said,  
apparently finding it difficult to actually say their names.

"No, mum, and I'm not going to." Ginny replied irritably. She had stopped thinking about Harry for about an hour, and of course her mother had to bring it back up again.

"I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so worried."

"Yeah, well, me too."

Another awkward silence fell.

"Ginny, if you'd like, I'll get the rest of your things and you can drop in on your brother's shop"  
Mrs. Weasley said, trying to cheer her up.

"Yeah...actually, that'd be really great."

"I'll meet you there in about an hour."

"Thanks, mum."

"Of course."

Ginny wondered if her mum was just being extra-nice to her so she didn't disappear in the middle of the night. Oh well- whatever the reason, she'd take it.

She made her way towards Fred and George's shop, when suddenly a girl with long, dark hair bumped into her.

"Oh, sorry." Ginny said, pushing her long red hair out of her face.

"Don't speak to me, you Muggle-loving freak." The girl hissed.

Ginny looked up, sighing.

"Oh. You're Pansy Parkinson." She had never actually met the girl, but she had certainly heard about her from Ron and Hermione's stories of prefect meetings.

"Yes, and you're Ginny Weasley." Pansy said the name as if it was the most vile curse word she could muster up.

"Well, you have fun shopping." Ginny said sarcastically, heaving her bags higher on her shoulders so she didn't drop everything.

"Where's your miserable little gang?" Pansy eyed her suspiciously.

"Where's your miserable little boyfriend? Oh...right.  
He's busy being Snape's bitch, right?" Ginny shot back.

Pansy's dark eyes flashed.

"You think you know everything? I know things about your friends, your family...what's going to happen to them...you have no idea." Pansy said smugly, crossing her arms.

"You don't scare me." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Pansy's mouth twisted into a horrible smile. She didn't reply.

Ginny shook her head, turning away.

"They're going to die. All of them." Pansy said to her turned back.

Ginny didn't look back.

--

Ron, Hermione, and Harry had been on the train for four hours now, and a rainy night was falling around them.

None of them had slept very well the night before at the twins, so they were all feeling sleepy in the warm compartment.

Harry was sitting on one side, already lying down on a pillow, a blanket pulled tightly around him.

Hermione was re-reading the book McGonagall had given her, and Ron was looking through the Muggle newspaper the train had provided.

"It's ridiculous. Poor chaps have no idea what's happening." Ron said, laying down the newspaper.

"You asleep, Harry?" Hermione looked up from her book.

Harry didn't answer, shifting slightly.

"This is a historic moment, Hermione. I've never seen him sleep." Ron laughed, as Hermione leaned over to take off Harry's glasses.

"Shhh." Hermione grinned.

The train lurched slightly, but Harry continued sleeping like a baby.

"You all right with this, Ron? I know it seems like it's all moving really fast." Hermione looked over at him, closing her book.

"Well, but it rather has to. This saving-the-world stuff." Ron said astutely.

"I suppose. I know the summer's usually with your family...I just feel guilty about just disappearing under their noses, when they've always been so great to me."

"You two are just as much my family as they are." Ron shrugged.

Hermione smiled.

"Really?"

Ron looked up, seeing her eyes were slightly glassy.

"W-Well, yeah." He said, fiddling with the nubby end of his sweater.

"I'm so glad we're together on this." Hermione said,  
suddenly putting her hand over his.

Ron cleared his throat.

"Yeah, me too."

She looked at him, her eyes shining in the weak light of the compartment.

The train lurched again, and their hands broke apart.  
The moment ended.

"Are you hungry?" Ron asked, rather abruptly standing up.

"No."

"Well, I'm going to go see if I can get something.  
Want to come?" He motioned towards the door, hitting his hand.

Hermione sighed.

"No. No, it's all right. I'm just going to go to sleep."

"All right. Good night, then." Ron waved, stepping out of the compartment.

Hermione shook her head, pulling down a blanket and snuggling under it.

--

Lupin pulled his cloak around him, quietly slipping out of the mostly empty cave. This week, Greyback had told them to scout out locations for the next transformation. Where would be the best place to be when they all changed to inflict the most casualties.  
Lupin had nearly vomited, but he figured at least now he could tell the Order when the location had been decided.

The night was cold and rainy. He pulled up his collar,  
attempting to shield himself from the wind.

This location had been picked a long time ago, when he had first been assigned by Dumbledore to live among the werewolves. He and Tonks were just casual acquaintences then, but Dumbledore had instructed she meet with him once a month to update the Order on his progress.

It was a dark, heavily wooded forest outside of Hogsmeade. They always met in the same small clearing-  
easy to Apparate to, no danger of being spotted.

He apparated when he was a safe distance away from the cave, and landed smoothly in the clearing.

Tonks was sitting on a tree stump, twisting her fire-engine red hair.

She looked up with a start when he landed, getting to her feet.

They took each other in for a moment, standing some distance apart.

Suddenly, she stepped towards him, hugging him tightly.

"Bloody hell, it's good to see you." She said into his shoulder.

"Likewise." He stroked her long hair.

"Damn you being so noble." She laughed.

He kissed her forehead, smiling.

"You're so thin." She put her hands on his chest worriedly.  
"Well, it's not exactly a 24-hour gourmet buffet around here." He shrugged.

"Well, I have good news. If you can make excuses to Greyback, we need you back home. I'll even attempt cooking every night if you come...just for a few days."

"Of course. What's wrong?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing's wrong. It's just, I need your help."

He waited.

"Narcissa Malfoy's in Ministry custody. We had a run-in when I was looking through Grimmauld Place for anything about Regulus Black on Ministry Orders. While I was looking, I found a picture of Narcissa, Snape,  
and Regulus during their Hogwarts days. Now we have her, and she won't talk. I tried the Cognito Spell,  
and she's resisting it somehow. I figured...you could help. I mean, you went to school with her. You're really talented at Leglimens. I just thought maybe you could..."

"I can try. I mean, I didn't know her particularly well. I tutored her during fifth and sixth year in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Did she ever mention anything about Snape or Regulus?"

"I didn't even know she and Snape were friends. I didn't even know he had friends." Lupin shrugged.

"But you think you can help?"

"Like I said...all I can do is try. I'm a little out of practice."

"That never stopped you in other respects." She grinned devilishly.

Lupin smiled.

"Ha ha."

"So you're coming?" She asked, threading her fingers through his.

"Yeah. Greyback has us scouting locations, so I'll just tell him I need to take a weekend to scout one out. He may be insanely evil, but he's not too bright.  
It shouldn't be a problem."

"Perfect. Just apparate over to my place tomorrow night, and then I'll take you to Narcissa on Monday."

"I'll be there."

"Okay."

They stood there for a moment, looking around the clearing, and both smiling at the same moment.

"Are you thinking about-"

"Yeah." He looked down at his feet.

"I made a grown man blush." Tonks giggled.

"Well, you were a little forward that night."

"I missed you. Plus, we were all alone in this darkened forest...it was pretty hot, you must admit."

"I don't know if that's exactly what Dumbledore had in mind when he told us to meet here every month."

"Probably not." She laughed.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said, tucking her hair behind one ear.

"I can't wait. Thank you for doing this." She hugged him again.

"Of course."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment. This was ridiculous--they'd almost been together for a year,  
and there was still the nervousness about how to leave each other.

"Oh, bugger this." She finally said, kissing him.

They broke apart after a long, feverish moment.

"You realize our one-year anniversary is just a few weeks off?" She smiled, kissing him again.

"Really?" He looked at her, surprised.

She feigned shock.

"You haven't been marking off the days on your calendar?"

"Sorry, love. Of course I knew that."

"Yeah, yeah." She laughed.

He kissed her once more, reluctantly stepping away from her.

"I've got to get back. I'm sorry. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

"No, I understand. Go. Go sleep in your cave and just know that I'll be sitting at home, all alone, wearing silk lingerie." She shrugged.

"You're very cruel. But I love you anyway."

"I love you too."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye."

And he disapparated away.

Tonks smiled, walking back to Hogsmeade.

"I don't even OWN silk lingerie." She said under her breath, wondering if Hogsmeade sold such things.

--

Draco and Snape prepared to apparate from the small apartment they'd been staying in--which basically meant Draco was packing while Snape was brooding.

Draco was getting tired of this. His whole life, he'd been in charge. His mum and dad had always made him the center of attention, his friends and girlfriend basically worshipped the ground he walked on, and now this. Snape barely even acted like he was alive, and Draco had given up his entire normal life to be helping him.

He didn't dare say this, of course. Snape was a pretty scary guy.

"So...you mentioned something about needing to ask my mum something?" Draco said, deciding to take a stab at conversation.

"Yes." Snape said, still staring out the rain-streaked window.

"How do you two know each other? I've never heard her mention you." Draco tentatively sat across from him.

"From school."

"You were friends?"

"I tutored her in Potions."

"Mum was bad at Potions?" Draco said, wrinkling his nose.

He'd always pictured both his parents acing every subject at school. He supposed he idolized them slightly.

"She wasn't bad, really." Snape said casually.

"So you kept up with her?"

"Yes, you could say that. Why are you so curious about it?" Snape finally did look at him.

"J-Just making conversation." Draco said, unnerved.

"I don't ask you about your friends." Snape pointed out.

"Not much to tell. You know my friends." Draco pointed out.

"Yes. Charming little group. It must be nice"  
Snape's voice trailed off, and then he looked like he was mentally shaking himself with the slightest twitch of his lips.

"Finish packing, Mr. Malfoy. We need to leave as quickly as possible."

And with that, Snape continued his brooding by the window.

Draco sighed.

Forget it. He'd tried, anyway.

He resumed packing in the other room, nearly finished.  
They would leave within the hour.

--

Narcissa Malfoy twisted her long blond hair around one finger.

"Do you understand what I mean?" Severus looked at her, pointing at the page in the textbook.

She looked at him for a moment.

"Severus, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. That's what I'm here for." He said,  
cursing his nervousness.

"Anything?"

"Yes." He said.

"Do you want me?"

--

Snape looked away from the window. Dwelling in the past was not going to help this mission. He stood up,  
pulling on a long black jacket over his cloaks. It was a cold night.

"Malfoy?"

"Yes, Professor?" Draco called from the other room.

Snape wondered how many times he'd have to tell Draco not to call him that.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. All packed." Draco came in, his thin arms full of bags.

"Good. Then let us depart."

Snape sighed at Draco's strained expression, taking a few of the bags.

With that, they apparated to Malfoy Manor.

--

A/N- Please leave me a review! More to come soon! 


	10. Draco'sSenseofEntitlement&Breakfast

A/N- I'm writing this chapter on a lot of flu medicine, so bear with me. Hope everyone enjoys!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Ten Draco's Sense of Entitlement & Breakfast with Tonks

--

Harry awoke the next morning after having a very interesting dream about Ginny, and saw that he was still on the train.

Hermione and Ron were both still asleep, rather cutely snuggled together. Harry grinned. Ron would probably have an aneurysm when he woke up. He didn't see why Ron didn't just go for it. He still wasn't sure whether he wanted them together or not, but couldn't help but feel that the speed (or lack thereof) of their relationship progression was just getting ridiculous.

As he stretched and put on his glasses, he noticed the train was slowing down as they rattled into Darkmoor Station.

As the train finally came to a halt, Ron and Hermione woke up. Hermione looked around, saw her head was on Ron's shoulder, and smiled sleepily.

Ron, on the other hand, noticed Hermione as well and nervously withdrew his hand from around her shoulder.

"Morning, Harry!" Ron said, his voice squeaky.

Harry just looked at him incredulously, shaking his head.

Hermione smoothed down her hair.

"Are we there?" She asked.

"Just now. Welcome to Darkmoor." Harry motioned out the window.

True to its name, the entire town looked gray and foreboding. It also practically screamed MONEY.  
Everything about it looked old, expensive, and frightening.

"I feel right at home." Ron grinned, getting their luggage as he finally woke up.

The three friends walked out among the throng of people getting off, receiving many disapproving glances for their rumpled appearances.

"Snobs." Hermione said under her breath.

They stepped out into rain-soaked morning, pulling their jackets tightly around their shoulders.

"Hmm...where could Malfoy Manor be?" Harry said sarcastically.

They all followed his gaze to a hill off from the center of town. A dark gray mansion with turrets,  
gargoyles, and statues in the front gated lawn loomed before them.

"I surprised there's not a moat." Ron smiled.

"Or a dragon guarding the tallest tower." Hermione added.

"Knowing the Malfoys, there probably is one." Harry rolled his eyes, leading the way towards the hill.

--

Lupin woke up the next morning to the smell of sizzling bacon, warm biscuits, and scrambled eggs. He rolled over to see a rainy day pounding against the window.

But instead of shivering under some miserable blanket,  
he was pleasantly warm beneath soft cotton sheets,  
safe in Tonks' familiar bedroom.

He looked around the room, seeing a picture on the nightstand of he and Tonks that Sirius had taken one night at Grimmauld Place. Sirius had said he wanted pictures of everyone over Christmas, so he kept surprising people over the holidays with that blasted camera. Tonks had said one of her randomly hilarious comments that had made Lupin laugh so hard he was leaning over with his hands on his knees, about to fall off the couch (they had both had quite a bit of eggnog, and it was very late). She was smiling widely at him, with a bowl of popcorn in her lap as the Christmas tree lights twinkled behind them. Sirius had walked in, taken the picture, and teased Lupin mercilessly about being plastered from eggnog. It was one of the few times Lupin had seen Sirius genuinely smile in his time at Grimmauld Place.

Lupin felt a warm feeling fill his chest as he looked at the picture. No one had ever made him happy like she could. He had never really loved a woman, not like this. It was bizarre, and unexpected, and perfect.

"Morning!" Tonks said brightly, coming into the bedroom with a tray full of breakfast food and the Daily Prophet tucked under the plate.

Lupin looked at her, standing there in her bright pink pajamas, her now blond hair in a pixie cut and her blue eyes shining brightly.

He grinned.

"What?" She said, setting the tray in his lap and snuggling up beside him under the covers.

"You just looked so...domestic."

"Really?" She wrinkled her nose.

"No, I like it. It's very...sexy."

"Remus Lupin just said sexy. Stop the presses." She kissed his cheek, opening the paper.

"You still read that? It's so depressing." Lupin said,  
starting to eat and trying to do it somewhat politely.  
He was so hungry he could have happily shoveled it all in his mouth.

"I have to stay informed. If something bad happened,  
and I didn't know about it when I went to work- boy,  
would my face be red." She grinned.

"Gotcha." He replied between bites of bacon.

"You don't think it will be a problem? Me coming into the Ministry?" He asked her, swallowing.

"I've already cleared you. And if anyone makes trouble about it, I'll kick their ass." She shrugged.

"When do you have to be at work?"

"Nine."

"You do realize it's 8:30?"

"You better get ready then." She patted his arm.

"You're going in your pajamas?" He looked at her.

She sighed, standing up, wrinkling her nose, suddenly wearing black pinstripe pants and a hot pink sweater.

"Done." She put her hands up.

"I wish it was that easy." Lupin motioned to his dirty clothes strewn on the floor.

She smiled, walking over to the closet and pulling out a white button-down shirt with a dark blue t-shirt with nice dark jeans and dress shoes.

"Surprise, darling." She lay the new clothes on the bed.

He looked at them.

"You didn't have to do this."

"It was my pleasure. You've been living in a cave. I figured you hadn't kept up with the trends. You get dressed- I've got to go clean up the kitchen. I broke a few things in the process of breakfast."

--

Snape and Draco walked up the hill of Darkmoor,  
shrouded in the horrible weather surrounding them.

"Lovely morning." Draco rolled his eyes.

Snape didn't even look at him, but remained looking at Malfoy Manor with a strange expression on his face.

They finally reached the wrought iron gates.

"I'm assuming you know how to open it." Snape looked at him.

"Of course." Draco stepped up to the lock, taking out his wand.

He looked at Snape.

"Could you turn around? It's rather a family secret."

Snape narrowed his eyes, but complied.

Draco looked around the empty hillside, muttered something under his breath, and the lock clicked open.  
They stepped through the open gate into the wet statue garden out front. The statues all stood proudly in the wet morning with horribly arrogant looks on their faces, representing generations of Malfoys.

"Think rather highly of yourselves, don't we?" Snape commented, reading the inscriptions of the Malfoy's grand deeds.

"We have every right to." Draco said, a practiced sneer on his pointed face.

They finally reached the front of the house, two huge black doors with enormous iron knockers.

Snape opened his mouth to say something, but Draco cut him off knowingly.

"Everytime my mom lets someone in, they feel compelled to say 'what knockers.' It's quite disturbing."

"I had no intention of saying anything like that"  
Snape looked down his nose at him.

"I-I know...I just thought it was a funny story"  
Draco mumbled, opening the front doors with a strange tapping motion with his wand.

They walked into the grand entryway, complete with a fountain of a snake with water coming out from the tip of its pointed tongue, green marble floors, and enormous stained glass windows on the high ceiling showing accomplishments of the Malfoys in years gone by.

"Home sweet home." Draco crossed his arms proudly, as if asking Snape what he thought.

"Decadence does not equal class, Mr. Malfoy." Snape said, walking into the Grand Library as if he'd been here hundreds of times.

"Excuse me, you can't just go tromping around my house!" Draco's sense of entitlement came out in full force.

"Whyever not?" Snape turned around, looking rather frightening in all black as lightning from the storm illuminated his outline.

Draco swallowed.

"Tromp around if you must." He said more subserviently.

Snape smiled slightly, turning back around and heading to the study.

"The last time I was here, the security measures were far more stringent." Snape said, begininng to flip through books.

"When were you here last time?" Draco asked curiously,  
looking through the his father's collection of books as well.

"Your parents' wedding." Snape said casually.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Well, I guess my father loosened up a little after we had to sell or hide everything...questionable. You know." Draco smiled.

"Indeed." Snape snapped the book shut, moving on to the next one.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, three friends were watching them from the corner of the library, safe beneath the Invisibility Cloak.

--

Tonks and Lupin walked past the Security desk, feeling very harrassed.

"You know, there are times I wish you could just turn that werewolf thing on whenever you wanted." She whispered.

"I don't think that would have made me anymore trustworthy." Lupin grinned, affixing his visitor badge to his new shirt.

"I know...that woman was treating you like some kind of criminal though. It's just Umbridge's influence."

"A woman that horrible apparently has residual effects."

"Yeah. Could you believe she came to Dumbledore's funeral?" Tonks shook her head angrily.

"Very bad taste." Lupin agreed, seeing several people eye him as they walked through the hall.

Tonks rolled her eyes, taking his hand.

"Don't let ignorant people bother you." She said quietly.

They walked together to the Auror Office, where Kingsley smiled widely at both of them, shaking Lupin's hand. Tonks led him to the Holding Area, where Narcissa still sat silently in her cell, her long blond hair limp and her thin body growing frighteningly skeletal. Demetrius was waiting for them.

"Hey, boss. This is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Demetrius Alvers, the head honcho of my department."

The two men shook hands.

"I've heard good things." Remus said, smiling congenially.

"That's funny- I've heard nothing about you from Nymphadora. How do you two know each other?"

Tonks sighed.

"I told you, we worked together."

Demetrius looked between them, his old eyes crinkling with a smile.

"All right. She's all yours, Remus."

"Pardon me?"

"Mrs. Malfoy. She's just been itching for visitors"  
Demetrius motioned towards the door, leaving them alone.

"Put your game face on." Tonks said, opening the door for them.

Narcissa looked up, her blue eyes bearing dark circles beneath them. She looked exhausted.

"What now?" She choked out.

Tonks summoned a glass of water.

"Take a sip, Mrs. Malfoy." She handed it to her.

Narcissa complied, downing the entire glass. She swallowed, her eyes on Lupin.

"You're that teacher. From Hogwarts. You taught my son in his third year."

"Yes, and your husband was one of the main reasons I was fired." Lupin said, keeping a friendly tone in his voice.

"The werewolf." Narcissa said, as Tonks took the glass of water away.

"Yes. We also attended Hogwarts together. Do you remember?" Lupin asked, sitting on the chair in front of her.

Narcissa looked at him critically.

"No."

"I was your tutor in Defense Against the Dark Arts during your fifth and sixth years. We met for sessions every week. Remus Lupin."

Narcissa looked at him carefully for a moment longer.

"Oh, yes. You look so different now...so old."

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Well, time is no man's friend." Remus smiled at her warmly.

Narcissa's eyes narrowed.

"Are you here to question me again?"

"Yes."

"Good luck. Your little friend here couldn't manage it, what makes you think you're any better?"

"It's imperative we know the information you're keeping from us. My previous experience with you makes it easier to access the memories."

Narcissa's lip trembled nervously.

"Just tell me where Snape is, and what you know about Regulus, and I don't have to do any of this." Lupin said, leaning towards her slightly, confidentially.

She said nothing, closing her eyes miserably.

"I'm sorry. Then I have to do this." He put his hands on either side of her temple.

Narcissa bit her lip, about to cry out with the effort she was expending on closing her mind to him.

Tonks watched her, feeling strangely empathetic. What was she so desperate to hide?

"Cognito." Lupin murmured, closing his eyes as well.

He felt the rushing wind over both of them that signified the spell beginning. Her memories began flashing before him like pages in a flipbook. He heard her sobbing as he was able to finally close in on one of a very pretty little blond girl in a pink dress. He concentrated with everything in him on that image. If he could get in, he could access all of it...everything she was hiding. They would know what they needed at last.

Tonks watched both of them shaking with opposing efforts.

Suddenly they both stopped moving. Their eyes started fluttering behind their eyelids, and Tonks knew that he had done it. They were both lost in each other's memories, uncovering each other's secrets.

Everything she was hiding could finally be known.

--

A/N- Next chapter will chiefly be in Lupin and Narcissa's la-la-lands of memories. Please review! 


	11. I'm Sorry, I Was in a Flashback

A/N- Thanks for the reviews everyone! You guys are the best. The title is a quote from Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." The first half of this chapter is Lupin's memories, the second is Narcissa's.  
Also, just a note- I wrote a story about Lupin's Hogwarts days before, it's called "Fragments." Some of his memories are from that, if they look familiar.  
Hope no one minds. This is the longest chapter yet, so grab a bucket of popcorn and get ready.

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Eleven I'm Sorry, I Was in a Flashback

Cognito-Remus Lupin --

Mr. and Mrs. Lupin stood around the hospital bed of their nine-year old son, looking at the Healer with identically dumbfounded expressions.

"A werewolf? My little boy?" Mrs. Lupin said, her clutching her husband's hand tightly.

The Healer, a tall black woman, shook her head sadly.

"It must have happened while he was playing outside.  
There's been a rash of these attacks...mostly on children.The Aurors are working day and night to find the werewolf who's doing this."

"This is preposterous- there must be some kind of antidote!" Mr. Lupin said angrily.

Remus looked between his parents, feeling very tired and ill. The last thing he remembered was playing in the woods by his house, hearing something rustling behind him, and a searing pain in his left arm. Then he had woken up in St. Mungo's, having absolutely no idea what was going on or why his parents were so upset.

"A werewolf?" He asked weakly.

His mother looked at him, her wide blue eyes glassy.

"Darling, you should be sleeping. You're sick."

"What am I sick with?" He asked again.

"Son, just try to rest. We'll speak with the Healer outside." His father, a kind-looking man whose brown hair was graying rapidly for someone barely past thirty.

His father motioned to the doctor that they should leave. He watched his parents go outside with the woman, and looked through the window as they seemed to be having a very heated discussion.

Remus looked at his bandaged left arm. He had heard of werewolves- in scary stories told by his friends or books he had read. But he never really believed in them- he could accept that he was a wizard, but a werewolf on top of that? It seemed impossible. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling small and lonely in such a big room.

A few moments later, his mother walked in by herself.  
His father and the Healer were still talking outside.

"Remus, are you awake?" She sat beside him, pushing his brown hair off his sweaty forehead.

"Yes." He opened his eyes.

"I'm afraid the Healer's given us some news...some news that's going to be hard to hear. But know that your father and I love you, no matter what, and we'll help you through whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes to what?" He sat up, getting frightened.

"You've been bitten by a very bad man who turns into something called a werewolf at every full moon..."

--

Albus Dumbledore looked at an eleven year old Remus Lupin, sitting between his parents.

"Well, this is a rather unusual case." Dumbledore said, his fingers together under his chin as he sat at his desk.

"I want him to have a normal life. He's been waiting to his whole life to go to Hogwarts. And there must be some way, some way you can help him be safe when the...change happens."

Dumbledore closed his eyes, as if in thought for a moment. He opened them, looking straight into Remus'  
eyes.

"Do you want to come to Hogwarts, Remus?" He asked him, as if they were the only two people in the room.

"Yes, sir. More than anything." Remus assured him,  
sitting on his hands and feeling nervous under the old wizard's penetrating gaze.

Dumbledore smiled at him, his eyes now twinkling.

"Then you shall come."

"What about his problem?" Mr. Lupin looked confused.

"I have a wonderful solution in mind. You two can have every faith that I will keep your son, and his fellow classmates, safe."

"Could we ask what this solution is?" Mrs. Lupin pressed.

"A few miles away from Hogwarts, in the village of Hogsmeade, there is an abandoned building that I will enchant to appear very much haunted, and very much unavailable for entry any other way than the way I will show to your son."

--

Remus Lupin sat on the train to Hogwarts, feeling exhausted. The full moon had occurred right before his first week, which was lucky in some respects, but had left him tired and sick for his Sorting.

The compartment door banged open, revealing a boy with messy black and brown eyes.

"Can I join you?" The boy asked.

"Of course. I'm Remus Lupin." He replied, shaking the boy's hand and giving off the air of an adult trapped in an eleven year old's body.

"James Potter." The boy with the messy hair smiled,  
sitting across from him.

They settled into pleasant small talk, when the door opened again. A boy with strikingly good features and a wide, white smile ambled in.

"Hello, all." He sat down next to James as if he'd known them forever.

"Have we met?" Lupin looked at him.

"Not yet we haven't. I'm Sirius."

"Serious about what?"

"That's my name, you git."

Lupin grinned.

"Nice name."

"Whereas Remus is really catching on." James laughed.

"So your name's Remus. And you're…"

"James Potter."

"Well, my friends, are we nervous about the sorting?  
My cousin Bellatrix told me I better get in Slytherin,  
or the family's disowning me." Sirius laughed.

"Isn't Slytherin regarded as producing wizards and witches who are a bit…dodgy?" Lupin said tactfully.

"More like evil. Don't worry- I don't plan on following in the family footsteps. I might enjoy the occasional fit of mischief, but I'm not really into the whole Dark Arts scene. Mum was so disappointed"  
Sirius rolled his eyes.

"My mum and dad said Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's what you want. Hufflepuffs for the cream puffs, and Slytherins…well, you said it, Sirius." James said.

"Well, here's to hoping they sort us where we belong.  
With the best." Sirius smiled, instantly liking James.

"You're rather arrogant, did you know that?" Lupin pointed out, grinning nonetheless.

"Am I?" Sirius looked confused.

"So do you two like Quidditch?" James changed the subject abruptly, eager to talk about the best sport ever invented.

A rampant debate over the best Quidditch team began as the storm rumbled outside.

--

"Lupin, just tell us the truth! Where the hell have you been? Why is your face all scratched up?" Sirius was shouting now.

"That's NONE of your business!" Lupin yelled back,  
looking pained.

"What could be so bad?" Peter chimed in, trying to coax it out of him.

"Lupin, we never keep things from each other." James said, in a very calm voice.

"You'll all think I'm a freak." Lupin's voice broke slightly.

"We already think that." Sirius said, smiling, trying to break the tense mood.

"Just forget it!" Lupin went to stomp off.

"I'm sorry! Come on-stop being so weird about this,  
and just tell us the truth!" Sirius threw his hands up in exasperation.

"Nothing could make us stop being your friends." James assured him.

"FINE! FINE! YOU WANT THE TRUTH?" Lupin turned around,  
now in a towering temper.

"YES!" Sirius matched his rage.

"I'm a werewolf!" Lupin hissed through gritted teeth.

No one spoke for a moment.

"Like a real werewolf?" Peter finally said, his voice tinged with awe.

"No, Peter, the fake kind." Lupin snapped.

He looked at James and Sirius.

"Guys, please say something." He begged.

"So you're a werewolf? Is that all?" Sirius shrugged dismissively, grinning.

"What?" Lupin looked confused.

"What'd you think we'd ditch you or something? No way." James rolled his eyes.

"You don't think I'm…some kind of freak?"

"Not in the least. In fact, Sirius just got a great idea." Sirius said thoughtfully, carelessly pushing his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Why is Sirius referring to himself in third person"  
James looked at his best friend, grinning.

"Because I'm celebrating my brilliance. Are any of you familiar with the term Animagus?" Sirius said, leaning back in his chair, his mouth widening into a wide smile.

--

Lupin looked at Lily's wide-eyed expression.

"So there's the truth. One Gryffindor prefect to another."

"Remus, I had no idea! So that's why you missed those meetings!"

"Yes. It's quite annoying, really." Remus sighed.

"Can't you take a potion or something? To stop the transformation?"

"I dunno. Probably."

"You could ask Severus- he's a total brain at Potions." Lily suggested, remembering the greasy-haired boy who sat close to her seat in Potions and always got better marks.

"Snivellus?" Lupin said almost automatically.

"Please tell you don't resort to the same levels as Sirius and that bloody stupid James Potter." Lily said disapprovingly.

"James is hardly stupid." Lupin said defensively.

"I'm sorry. That was rude. I forgot how you liked them." Lily shook her head.

Lupin looked at her carefully for a moment.

"You really don't like James, do you?"

"I don't like either of them."

"But especially James? I mean, you two can hardly be in the same room without you starting an argument."

"I don't start anything. I just point out when he's being an immature git." She shrugged.

Lupin raised his eyebrows, grinning slightly as he was hit with a sudden realization.

"What?" She demanded, giggling at his rather comical expression.

"Lily, we're friends, right?"

"Right."

"And I just told you a pretty huge secret, right"  
Lupin said, choosing his words carefully.

"Right-Remus, what are you getting at?"

"Can I ask you something? And you have to tell me the truth?"

"Sure." Lily shrugged.

Lupin drummed his fingers on the table, as if deciding whether to ask her or not.

"Come on, after all that, you have to ask me!" She laughed.

"All right. Lily Evans, how do you really feel about James?"

Lily was taken aback for a moment, and felt her heart leap into her throat.

"I hate him." She shrugged, but her voice was a little higher than normal.

"Do you really?" Lupin looked at her, smiling patronizingly.

"Yes! Of course! Why on earth would you think otherwise?" She said defensively.

"I don't know. You just talk about him an awful lot for someone who hates him." He said, his smile widening.

"Well-I just talk about how much I think he's a stuck-up, over-hyped-"

"All right, I get your drift." Lupin said, still with that maddening smile on his face.

"What a ridiculous question." Lily said, tucking her hair behind her ears, flustered.

"Riiiight." Lupin nodded.

"Remus, come on! I mean, James Potter and me? I mean,  
you claim he's a good friend, and I'll take your word for it, but for me? I mean even thinking about…about kissing him or something…" Lily trailed off, trying to shake a rather pleasant mental picture that had just appeared in her mind.

"Who mentioned kissing him?" Lupin smiled even wider.

"No one! I mean…I just…just drop it, okay, Remus? I don't like James, I'll never like James, end of story!"

Lupin put his hands up in surrender.

"Fine. Just wondering."

--

The Gryffindor common room was reverberating with sounds of celebration, as all the seventh years rejoiced in the fact that they were finally done with their Hogwarts education, and the real world was out there waiting for them. Lupin sat among his three best friends, and Lily, James' now-girlfriend.

"Firewhiskey, anyone?" Sirius said, a bit tipsy from a bottle he'd managed to coax out of the house elves.

"As Head Boy, I feel I must confiscate that." James said, pointing stupidly, quite tipsy himself.

Lily walked over, snuggling against James as he lazily slung an arm over her shoulders, grinning foolishly at her.

"Bit knackered?" She tried to look disapproving.

"Darling! What an unfounded accusation!" James said,  
much louder than was necessary, Sirius dissolving in bark like laughter.

"Real nice example, James." She shook her head,  
smiling.

"Oh, come on, love, you know you can't stay mad at me for long…" He winked, kissing her rather sloppily.

Lily laughed, pushing him off.

"Down boy." Sirius rolled his eyes, looking rather revolted at his best friend's sudden descent into monogamy.

"What's wrong, Padfoot? Scary to see James in an actual relationship?" Lupin observed.

"Terrifying." Sirius shivered slightly.

"I think it's sweet." Peter shrugged.

"So are we sad to be leaving dear old Hogwarts"  
Sirius said, levitating the bottle of Firewhiskey over to a group of girls who'd been watching him. He gave them a sly grin, at which they dissolved into giggles.  
Sirius tucked his wand back away.

"I'm more excited-I mean, real jobs, houses of our own, no more Snivellus, no more detentions…it's going to be grand." James smiled.

"And the only people from Hogwarts we have to ever talk to again are sitting right next to me." Sirius smiled widely at his friends.

"Sirius, remind us of who else you talked to at Hogwarts?" Lily pointed out.

"Why, Lily! Are you insinuating that I'm unpopular?"

"Not in the slightest. It's just…let's just say, you picked your friends, and have not wavered from that choice."

"Well, that's me. Loyal to the core. I like who I like. And sometimes am forced to like people when they weasel into my group by seducing James." Sirius raised an eyebrow at her, grinning.

"I did not SEDUCE James!" Lily rolled her eyes.

"That's her story." James raised his eyebrows,  
receiving a punch in the arm from Lily.

Peter, who'd been looking at a copy of Daily Prophet from that morning left on the table between them,  
looked up suddenly.

"What do all of you think about this Voldemort character?" He said, holding up the rather grisly headline depicting a rash of Muggleborn murders.

"Wow, Peter, what a highly inappropriate topic"  
Sirius sighed heavily, as he felt the good mood deflate from the group.

"Do you think it's all true?" Lupin suddenly spoke.

"Who knows?" Sirius shrugged.

"I think it's true, but the Daily Prophet might be dramatizing it a bit." Lily suggested.

"Yeah, she's right, I mean-he's just one crazy person,  
how bad could it be? The Aurors will catch this Voldy-whatever and ship him off to Azkaban. Don't worry, Peter." James said casually.

Problems of the outside world felt very far away from the common room at the moment.

--

Lupin sat down across from Bellatrix Lestrange, seeing a disgustingly proud expression tainting her beautiful features.

"Bellatrix Lestrange, do you know why you are here"  
Remus asked, hating everything about this woman and the fact that she was making him miss the birth of Lily and James' first child.

"Of course I do. I tortured the Longbottoms until they screamed like children...poor, pathetic children,  
begging for my mercy. And here I thought your precious Order was going to threaten the Dark Lord's crusade.  
Weren't they some of your best?"

"That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"What do you want? An apology? Go fck yourself." She snickered.

Lupin looked at her, repulsed.

"Then, Mrs. Lestrange, sign this confession sentencing you to life in Azkaban Prison." He slid it over to her across the table in the holding cell of Azkaban.

She did so with relish.

There was a long silence.

"Why are you doing this? I've always wondered that about the Death Eaters. What's in it for you?" He suddenly asked her.

She leaned towards him, her long black hair cascading over one shoulder.

"You could never understand. What it feels like...to have real power. To watch people die and know you caused it. To know the whole world's at your mercy.  
It's the best high a person can experience," she moved even closer, "Better than sex, better than anything your little group of pansies could ever call pleasure."

She was now inches from his face. Remus hadn't moved.

"You can honestly tell me you wouldn't want any of that?" She whispered.

He looked right into her dark eyes.

"Never." He said quietly, standing up and pushing her away, back into her chair.

"Your loss." She shrugged.

--

Remus Lupin walked down the corridors of Azkaban once again, led by a burly guard, ignoring the screams of pain and the sickly thin fingers reaching through the bars for his help.

He had never felt more alone in his entire life. James and Lily had been killed. Killed by Sirius telling Voldemort of their location. And now, Peter too had been murdered by the "madman" Sirius Black.

He was a traitor to them all.

It still sounded false even to think it.

And now he was here to question Sirius Black, a man he had counted among his best and oldest friends.

He reached Sirius' cell, and the sight of his former friend made his stomach twist with pain. Sirius looked like he had lost his mind.

Lupin forced an expression of indifference onto his face.

"Mr. Black, you have a visitor." The guard said gruffly.

Sirius saw who it was, and scrambled towards the bars gratefully.

"Lupin! Thank God you're here, you've got to help me-"

"Mr. Black, I am here on Order business to ask you a few questions." Lupin said in a cold, distanced voice.

"Moony, come on! You have to hear me out! I didn't do this-Peter framed me!"

"Mr. Black, if you don't calm down, I'll have to administer Veritaserum." Lupin said, feeling his throat tighten at the look on Sirius' face.

"DO IT THEN! I'm telling the truth!"

"Were you the Secret Keeper of Lily and James Potter"  
He asked, barely able to say their names.

"NO! Peter was, we just told everyone it was me to throw Voldemort off!"

"Sirius, please. You've been convicted, there's no point in lying now." Lupin said; his voice strained.

"I'm not lying!"

"He's clearly hysterical-you're not getting anything out of him." The wizard guard muttered to Lupin.

Lupin nodded, turning to go.

"LUPIN! NO, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME HERE! YOU'VE BEEN MY FRIEND SINCE I WAS ELEVEN, YOU KNOW I WOULDN'T DO THIS! I'D DIE BEFORE I'D BETRAY ANY OF YOU! IT WASN'T ME! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!" Sirius' voice cracked with tears, his hands gripping the bars so hard they turned white.

Lupin looked back at him.

"Save yourself some dignity, Sirius." He muttered,  
leaving with the guard.

Lupin tried to ignore Sirius' cries as they echoed through the cell block.

--

Lupin sat in Dumbledore's office once again, a much older man now than the last time he'd been here.

"So. Remus Lupin. What brings you back to these hallowed halls?" Dumbledore smiled at him.

"I need a job." Lupin said simply.

"I see. A teaching position?"

"Yes. I heard there was an opening for Defense Against the Dark Arts. I scored an Outsanding at both the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. level in this class-"

"No need to list your credentials, Mr. Lupin"  
Dumbledore grinned.

"I'm sorry?"

"I know you. I've known you since you were eleven years old. And despite your friends' many dalliances,  
you were always the one everyone could count on to do the right thing. I known you've been through more than any man should ever have to bear these last few years,  
but I still have every faith you have grown into the same kind of man. We do happen to be searching for a teacher after Gilderoy Lockhart's unfortunate.  
accident. This is not a job to be taken lightly though...in light of recent events, I am guessing many would question my hiring of you."

"You're referring to the reports of Black's escape"  
Lupin said, long ago abandoning calling Sirius by his first name.

"Yes. Many parents attended school with all of you,  
and know how close you and Sirius were."

"I can promise you, Dumbledore...I would never aid or assist Black in any way."

Dumbledore looked at him searchingly for a long moment.

"But part of you still wonders..." Dumbledore said quietly.

Lupin sighed.

"No. I would never harbor an Azkaban convict. I don't care who they are."

"I believe you. Now, I'll take you on as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor under one condition...you must go talk to Severus about making you Wolfsbane potion every month."

Lupin's face fell.

"Remus, don't you think it's time to put old grudges aside?"

"I've been making it myself since I was twenty, sir."

"I know, but Severus is a veritable expert at Potions.  
With him, there's less chance of mistakes."

"And more chance of me being poisoned." Lupin pointed out.

"He's changed, Remus. All of us have. Give him another chance." Dumbledore said.

--

Lupin walked into Snape's office, where Snape was hunched over a piece of parchment, writing furiously.

He couldn't help but picture the greasy kid he'd once known, hunched over class assignments in just such a fashion. Lupin stifled a laugh- yes, he'd certainly changed.

Snape looked up at his entrance.

His face paled with shock for a moment, then returned to its usual indifference.

"Well, well. Remus Lupin. The one member of your little gang to get out alive and unscathed." Severus said coldly.

Lupin fought down his emotion, merely standing there stoically.

"I've taken a teaching position at Hogwarts. Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Snape's eyes narrowed.

"Dumbledore already gave you the position?"

"Yes, he did."

"I see."

"But if I'm to work here, I need you to help me"  
Lupin said, hating even saying those words.

"Oh, really?" Snape looked highly amused.

"Yes. The Wolfsbane Potion...I believe you're familiar with it?" Lupin said, crossing slightly into the room.

"Not as intimately as you most certainly are, but yes,  
I know it." Snape said, still with that horrible smirk on his face.

"Well, Dumbledore would like you to make it for me.  
Every month. To minimize risk to the students."

"My, my. What would the mummies and daddies say if they knew a werewolf was living among their students?"

"Severus. Please. Let's not resort to this."

Snape and Lupin looked at each other for a long moment, as if deciding if their past could ever be forgiven.

Finally, Snape broke the moment, looking back at his parchment.

"Fine. Tell Dumbledore I'll do it."

Lupin stood there awkwardly a moment longer.

"Thank you." He said, surprising them both.

"Well, we're colleagues now. It's the least I could do." Snape said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

--

Lupin and Sirius walked into Grimmauld Place, the first members of the Order to arrive.

"Wow...it's really...er..." Lupin looked around.

"Horrible? Yes. I know. I blame all my many childhood complexes on this place." Sirius shuddered.

"I was going to say nice, but you know I'm a rubbish liar." Lupin grinned, putting his hand on the dust-covered walls and sniffing the stale unmoving air distastefully.

"Well, it will serve its purpose. I just wish...I mean, anywhere but here..." Sirius sighed, leading the way under a cobweb into the miserable living room.

"I'll come by as often as I can, I promise." Lupin assured him.

"Yeah. Dumbledore wouldn't really say it, but you could tell he just wants me to hold down the fort.  
Can't go anywhere, can't be seen by anyone. You do know how I love being inactive."

"You'll be fine. People will be in and out all the time, and I'm sure there's plenty of things for you to do here."

"Like what? Clean?"

"Perhaps you could get a lovely little maid costume.  
I'm sure Remus would enjoy that."

They both spun around at the sudden unwelcome voice,  
seeing Severus Snape standing in the doorframe.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sirius spat.

"Sirius...Snape's joined the Order."

"WHAT?" Sirius exclaimed, looking at Lupin incredulously

"Don't worry, Black, I'm not staying long. I just came to get my assignments." Snape said, looking at Sirius with great dislike.

The feeling was obviously mutual. Lupin sighed.

Just in time, more members of the Order began to arrive. McGonagall, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie Weasley, Mundungus Fletcher, Mad-Eye Moody and assorted others, and finally, a tall black man and a young witch with bright pink hair.

Arthur Weasley led the girl and the dark man to the front of the group.

"Everyone...these are two highly accomplished Aurors I was lucky enough to recruit to our cause from the Ministry...Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks."

"Arthur, please, just Tonks." The girl sighed.

Everyone greeted them warmly, except Snape who was standing in the corner, looking thoroughly disinterested.

The girl made her way over to Sirius and Lupin.

"I'm Sirius Black. We're actually pretty distantly related." He said, motioning towards the wall hanging of the Black family tree.

"Oh, yeah...Kingsley's told me all about you. It's so good to meet you finally." She shook his hand.

"Yeah, you too. Nice hair by the way."

"Oh, you like it? I'm kind of ready for a change." She wrinkled her nose, her hair suddenly turning a dark shade of purple.

Sirius nodded in appreciation.

"A Metamorphagus. I had no idea we had one in the family. Oh, this is my friend, Remus Lupin."

She looked at Lupin, her lipscurving into a smile.

"Well, hello." She shook his hand, her big blue eyes never leaving his.

"Nice to meet you." Lupin said, feeling uncomfortable.

Wasn't Sirius the one who was supposed to have girls look at him like this?

Sirius looked between them, grinning.

Thankfully, Dumbledore arrived then and everyone gathered around them to get their first assignments as the newly formed Order.

--

Lupin and Tonks looked into the living room, seeing Sirius on the couch, staring miserably into the fire.

"Sirius?" Lupin said tentatively, stepping into the room.

"What?" Sirius said dully.

"Tonks and I have to go meet someone who might have information for the Order."

"Fine. See you later." Sirius still didn't look at them.

"Sirius, this is ridiculous. You can't just mope around the house all day." Tonks said, exasperated.

He turned to look at them.

"Easy for you to say! You can leave anytime you like!  
You're not stuck here all day, everyday!" He was nearly shouting.

Lupin and Tonks didn't say anything in reply.

Sirius sighed.

"But, sorry, don't let me ruin your little date. Go have fun."

Remus took her arm.

"Come on. When he gets like this, there's no talking to him."

Sirius glared into the fire, not speaking again.

They walked out through the front door into the cold night air.

"Sorry about that. Sirius gets in these moods"  
Remus motioned back towards the door.

"It's okay." Tonks said, shrugging.

They both felt the awkwardness between them, and Remus sighed, explaining.

"He thinks there's something going on between us...likes to make jokes about because he's bored and likes knowing everyone's business. Just ignore him."

Tonks looked away, tucking her blue-streaked brown hair behind one ear.

"Well, is that so crazy? That something could be going on between us?" She said, still not meeting his eyes.

Lupin looked at her. A horribly uncomfortable silence fell, and she finally met his eyes.

He still hadn't spoke. Apparently losing patience, she stepped closer to him.

"I've liked you for a long time, Remus." She said quietly.

"Tonks...I'm almost twice your age. And a werewolf with no job. I'm not exactly a catch. Don't be ridiculous."

"I don't care about any of that." She said fiercely, stepping still closer to him.

He could smell her now...a fresh, citrus smell. Her big blue eyes reflecting his, her lips parted slightly...Lupin felt suddenly a stab of desire somewhere deep within him. It had been so long since he'd... No. This was insane.

"Tonks-"

She moved to kiss him, and he turned away from her.

"We can't do this." He said, unable to look at her.

She stood there, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Fine. Let's just go." She said, her usually cheerful voice cold and distant.

They apparate off to Hogsmeade, both deciding to never mention this again.

--

Kingsley threw open the door to Grimmauld Place,  
shocking all the members of the Order present.

"What's wrong?" Tonks jumped up from the table where she and Sirius had been playing cards.

"Harry and his friends. Department of Mysteries"  
Kingsley said, his deep voice fearful.

Lupin, Tonks, and anyone else present grabbed their cloaks and wands without another word. To Lupin's dismay, so did Sirius.

"I'm coming with you." He said, daring Lupin to disagree.

"No, you're not!" Lupin shouted, feeling very angry-  
they didn't have time to waste.

"Like hell I'm not! He's my godson!" Sirius yelled back.

There was no time for arguing. Without another word,  
the Order set off for the Department of Mysteries.

--

In the fray of the battle, Lupin turned just in time to see Sirius and Bellatrix battling. He heard Sirius say something, laughing that familiar bark-like laugh,  
standing on the dais.

The dais. The veil. Lupin registered what it was one second too late, trying to open his mouth to tell Sirius.

In a sudden, horrible moment, Sirius had stumbled and fallen through the veil.

Lupin felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, and could barely stand.

He automatically reached out for Harry, holding him back as he raced towards the veil, the skinny boy pushing against Lupin's grip with all of his might.

Harry…he's gone." Lupin's voice sounded foreign to his own ears.

He could barely hear Harry's shouts of protests. A dull roar seemed to echo in his own ears as he looked at the veil that had claimed Sirius taking him to the afterlife. He'd be with James and Lily now.

--

Lupin sat in his shoddy apartment, feeling warm and disoriented. This Firewhiskey was really something else.

He hadn't gotten properly drunk in ages. It was rather nice.

It had been two weeks since Sirius' death. After leaving Harry with the Dursleys, he hadn't spoken to a soul. It was odd. He just didn't care...not about anyone, not about anything...he had lost it all.

With this thought, he took another pull, feeling more and more peaceful by the moment.

He never needed to leave here. He'd just stay here, on this couch, drinking this. He wasn't needed for anything anymore.

You know that's not true, the annoyingly persistent voice in his head spoke up.

He kept drinking. Maybe that would shut the voice up for good.

Suddenly, there was knock at his door.

It was loud, and made his head hurt.

"Come in." He slurred.

"I can't. It's locked." A distinctly feminine and vaguely familiar voice answered.

Tonks. Oh yeah. He hadn't thought about her in awhile.

He stumbled to the door, opening it.

She stood there, wet from the rainy night outside.

"Can I come in?"

"What is it?" He said, squinting slightly.

"I just...everyone's worried about you. No one's seen you for weeks."

"And?"

"I just thought you... you could use a friend."

Lupin laughed.

"Okay, fine. Hope you drink, because I'm planning on drinking quite a lot."

Tonks stepped past him, looking a bit surprised.

"Seems like you already have." She said, crossing her arms.

"Nobody's making you stay." He said, flopping down on the couch.

She sat down beside him.

"Remus...I know how hard this must be for you."

"No, actually you don't." He said harshly, pouring himself another glass.

"But you can't do this to yourself."

"Why? Give me one good reason why." He looked at her,  
her fuzzy outline sharpening slightly.

"Because people out there need you! Harry needs you.  
The Order needs you. You always think you don't matter to anyone but you do, Remus!" She said, frustrated.

"Yeah, right." Lupin laughed, starting to drink the glass, but Tonks took it away. He looked at her,  
affronted.

"What the hell-"

"Just stop it, Remus. Stop it. Stop pitying yourself,  
stop wallowing like this. It's pathetic. You're thirty-five years old. I know this is hard, I know it hurts, but this is not what you do with the pain. You don't cut yourself off from the world like this. And you know what- more people are going to die. It's a war. That's what happens. Tomorrow it could be someone else you care about. But you don't just stop fighting.  
Think about James, and Lily, and Sirius--would they be proud of you right now? No. They'd be ashamed to see the cause that they gave their lives for, you're ignoring and hiding from. Stand up and fight, don't hide in your apartment like a coward."

She drew in a deep breath.

"You're not alone in this, Remus. I'm here. And for the record...you matter to me."

Before she could say another word, he took her face in his hands, kissing her hard.

Tonks kissed him back, her hands sliding around his neck, shaking slightly with surprise and nervousness.

They fell back onto the couch, pulling at each other's clothes, knocking over the firewhiskey.

That night, two friends became lovers.

And for the first time in what seemed like forever,  
Remus Lupin felt truly alive.

--

"So you're doing undercover work? With the werewolves?  
Remus, that sounds really dangerous." Tonks sat forward on the couch, concerned.

"I'll be fine. I'm one of them, remember?"

'You're not like them." She said fiercely, taking his hand.

"You know what I mean. I'll be able to help the Order and protect people from these attacks. If Greyback's leading them, they'll go after children. I'm not going to allow that to happen to someone else."

She considered this for a moment, playing with her long, blond wavy hair.

"If this is what you have to do...I understand." She said, lacing her fingers through his.

"Thank you. That really means alot to me." He said,  
kissing her temple.

"When do you have to leave?"

"Tonight."

"You're kidding." She blinked.

"Yes...Dumbledore wants me there as quickly as possible."

She stood up, taking that in.

"We've only been together three months."

"I know. I hate this. I don't want to go either."

Tonks sighed.

"All right. If I need to contact you, I'll send you my Patronus."

"Likewise."

"Are you packed?"

"I can't really take much. I just threw a few things together."

"Okay."

They stood there, Tonks still messing with her hair.

"Do you want to go to dinner or something?" He asked.

"No, not really." She said, trying not to sound too miserable but almost on the verge of tears.

"Tonks, please don't cry. I'm rubbish with girls when they cry." He stood up, crossing to her.

She opened her mouth to reply, but ended up choking down a sob.

"I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this!" She said,  
profoundly embarrassed.

He put his arms around her, and she hugged him tightly.

"I'm so happy this happened between us...even though it's the worst possible timing ever."

Lupin nodded, kissing her forehead.

"I'm going to miss you so much." She said tearfully.

"I love you." He suddenly replied.

She pulled back, shocked.

"What?"

He swallowed, realizing there was no way to backpedal out of this one. It had just kind of come out, and was one of the maybe five impulsive things he'd ever said or done.

"I said-- I love you, Tonks. I'm in love with you."

She smiled, wiping the tears off her cheeks when she saw he looked rather nervous.

"Oh, come on, Remus. I've been in love with you a long time. You know that."

They kissed, enjoying how new this still felt to both of them, a slow, romantic moment that seemed to make everything else disappear.

"I'll see when you get back." She said when the moment ended some time later.

He nodded, picking up his small knapsack, and walking out the door.

There was really nothing left to say.

--

Snape and Lupin sat across the table from each other,  
midway through Harry's sixth year. Lupin usually met with Tonks to update the Order on his progress, but she was on Auror business, so to Lupin's vast displeasure, the only person available on the deceptively beautiful Saturday morning was Severus Snape.

"So tell me of your progress." Snape said the moment they had sat down, obviously wanting this over with as soon as possible.

"Things are going well. I've found out the next attack is scheduled to hit Rowena Circle, so alert the rest of the Order and put extra security around that neighborhood."

Snape nodded.

"Is that all?" He said, looking bored.

"Yes. For now, that's all the new information I have."

"Well, it's been a pleasure. I do hope your daughter--oh, pardon me--girlfriend is available next time for this." Snape said, smirking.

Lupin's face burned slightly, wondering how the hell Snape had any idea about that.

"Your life must be really depressing. To be so interested in everyone else's." Lupin said angrily.

"I didn't actually know anything. Now I do. How sweet.  
The werewolf and the jailbait. What a charming pair"  
Snape smiled in an annoyingly self-satisfied way.

"Please pass my message on to the Order." Lupin said coldly, inwardly ordering himself not to lower to Snape's level as he had told James and Sirius countless times.

--

Flashes of Dumbledore's death and funeral and a wedding passed through Narcissa's consciousness, and everything went black. She had reached the end of his memories.

--

Cognito- Narcissa Malfoy

--

Narcissa stood in her pink party dress at her eighth birthday party. Her older sister, Bellatrix, was pouting in the corner because all the attention was not on her. Her cousins, Sirius and Regulus played Exploding Snap in the corner, the only boys here and excruciatingly bored. Her younger sister Andromeda was changing her hair different colors for the party guests.

"Mommy, it's my party. Not Andromeda's." Narcissa whined to her beautiful, dark-haired mother.

"Narcissa, darling, look at your beautiful presents"  
Her mother pointed her thin shoulders in the opposite direction to a veritable Mount Everest-worthy pile of gifts.

"I want a kitten." Narcissa said, stamping her little foot.

"Daddy got you a kitten, sweetheart. Just don't tell him I told you." Her mother leaned towards her confidentially, kissing her rosy cheek.

Narcissa looked over at her handsome, blond father. He smiled at her, walking over.

"Cissa, princess, go look in the kitchen."

Narcissa run into the kitchen, seeing a beautiful white kitten with a pink bow around its neck playing with a ball of yarn on the floor.

"Oh, daddy, she's perfect!" Narcissa threw her arms around her father's neck as he lifted her into the air.

"Perfect just like my princess." Her father kissed her nose.

Narcissa smiled. She was going to get everything she wanted. Just like she always did.

--

Narcissa and Sirius waited to board the train to Hogwarts for their first year.

"Look, you can't just hang around me all the time because I'm your cousin. Go make your own friends"  
Sirius hissed under his breath.

"If I leave, you'll be all by yourself and look really stupid." She said, sticking out her tongue.

"You're such a brat." Sirius shook his head.

"Fine. Be alone." She shrugged, tossing her long blond hair over one shoulder and flouncing away to a group of equally pretty girls.

--

Narcissa looked at her paper in shock.

It was her first attempt at O.W.L. work, and she'd failed. FAILED. She'd never failed at anything in her life.

And at the top, in Professor Slughorn's messy writing,  
were the words:

See me after class.

She gave an indignant sniff. She wasgood at everything. She was Narcissa Black. Her whole life,  
she'd been the prettiest and the best. Or at least that's what her parents and friends had told her.

As soon as class ended, she marched up to the desk,  
looking at the almost comically rotund form of Professor Slughorn. She heard someone walk up behind her, and turned around to see Severus Snape, a very quiet, very smart person in her Potions class. And she'd seen him in the Slytherin common room before,  
but never really talked to him.

He never really talked to anyone. He was supposed to be very strange.

"Can I help you?" She finally asked, his unwavering look making her feel uncomfortable.

Slughorn smiled indulgently at them both.

"Actually, my dear, this is going to be your tutor in Potions. Do you know Severus?"

"No." Narcissa said.

"Well, Narcissa Black, this is Severus Snape."

"Hello." She said dully.

Snape just nodded, putting his hands in the pockets of his robes. How dare he look bored? Since when was he better than anyone else?

"You two will meet every Thursday afternoon after class for a two hour tutoring session."

"Two hours?" Narcissa whined.

"Yes, in my classroom. I'm sorry, my dear, but you'v been struggling for awhile now in this class. This is for your own good. Every Friday, in my classroom."

"NO! I'm not taking 'Remedial Potions' in plain sight where anyone could walk in and see!" She stamped her foot, feeling her face burning at the very thought of what her friends would think of their 'perfect'  
Narcissa now.

Slughorn sighed. Snape still hadn't said anything.

"Very well, my dear," He began writing something on a sheet of paper, "Severus, these are directions to a room I think would better fit your needs."

"You're actually indulging her in this?" Severus rolled his eyes, taking the sheet of paper.

She glared at him.

"I'm not in the business of embarrassing my students.  
I don't mind if this is a private tutoring session"  
Slughorn shrugged.

"Fine." Severus tucked the piece of paper into his bag.

"Why not start today?" Slughorn put up his pudgy hands, as if this was wonderful news.

Narcissa and Snape looked at each other with immense dislike.

"Fine. Follow me." He said, his big black robes looking ridiculous on his thin frame.

"Nice outfit." She smirked as they stepped out in the hall.

"It's a school uniform. We're all wearing the same thing, if you haven't noticed." He said, not looking at her.

"Everyone was right. You are weird." She said as he walked extremely quickly down the hallway.

"Look, Miss Black, I don't want to be here anymore than you do."

"Ooh, sorry, am I keeping you from something?" She asked sarcastically.

After climbing an ungodly amount of stairs in silence,  
they were walking down a corridor on the seventh floor when he approached the blank wall across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do ballet.

Severus stood there for a moment, not speaking.

"What are you doing?" She stood there, hands on her hips.

He put up a hand to silence her.

Suddenly, a door formed on the wall. Severus opened it to reveal a room with two desks with parchment and quills, two cauldrons, Potions books and materials,  
and a blackboard.

"How did you-" She sputtered, stepping into the room.

"The Room of Requirement. So your precious dignity is maintained, we shall meet here every Thursday after class. If you arrive late and wish to enter, just stand outside the wall and think 'I need a place to help me stop failing Potions." He said, his lips curving into a sardonic smile.

"I am NOT failing-"

"Yes, you are. Just drop the act- why are you trying to impress me, of all people?"

"I don't care what you think." She pouted, sitting down at one of the desks.

"Of course you do. Your whole life is worrying about what other people think of you." He sat down across from her.

"My friends. Not freaks like you."

They sat there for a moment, both feeling immensely uncomfortable.

"All right. Go get the workbook from the shelf on Potions, fifth year." He motioned over to the shelves,  
taking out his own book.

She rolled her eyes, complying.

"Turn to page 394. We'll begin with The Somnus Draught."

--

Narcissa and Snape began meeting every Thursday, never speaking during the lessons except of Potions and both leaving as quickly as possible.

"He's just so strange." She commented to her younger cousin, Regulus, who was a third year now.

Regulus looked up from his Transfiguration homework,  
following her gaze across the Common Room to Severus,  
hunched in a corner.

"Really? Looks totally normal to me." Regulus grinned.

"I mean, I am doing better in Potions."

"Well, that's something."

"Yeah.. And he is really smart. But like, creepy smart. He makes up his own spells and potions--I've seen them written in the margins of his book. It's scary."

"Stay on his good side, then." Regulus laughed.

"We don't really get along. He'll probably hex me into next week if I fail an exam." She giggled.

"He probably fancies you." Regulus said cheekily.

Narcissa's eyebrows went together.

"You think?"

"Of course. He's this little weirdo who's getting to tutor probably the best-looking girl in their year...he wants you bad." Regulus was now laughing harder.

"You're thirteen years old! What do you know about this stuff?"

"Yes, but Sirius is my older brother. I know about girls." Regulus said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Narcissa looked over at Severus, still writing in his book.She wondered if he was right...did he like her?  
Surely not, he always acted so horrible to her during their lessons.

Regulus watched her looking.

"Cissa...you don't..." His jaw dropped incredulously.

She laughed, forcing her eyes away from him.

"No, don't be ridiculous. Please." She rolled her eyes.

--

Their next lessons were rather awkward. Narcissa couldn't stop thinking about what Regulus had said.  
She didn't dare bring it up though- how would one broach a subject like that?

"So, how did you do on last week's exam?" Severus asked, snapping her out of her reverie.

She reached into her bag, pulling out her exam,  
suppressing a smile. She lay it on his desk, the paper bearing a large A with the words 'Good job!" in Slughorn's messy handwriting.

"I think I did all right." She said, shrugging.

Snape looked up at her, and he smiled. Just for an instant, and it was gone. She looked at him in shock--she had never seen him smile in the entire year they'd known each other.

"Good work. Let's hope this improvement continues." He said, looking displeased with himself, handing her back the test.

"Thank you." She said, a little disappointed.

Well, what were you expecting? A hug? She thought to herself.

With that, Snape took out his book and began showing her the next potion they would try.

She began growing bored as usual, and her mind wandered again to Regulus' thoughts on Severus. It was killing her-- what did Snape really think of her?  
Could he possibly be right? Why did she care so much?

She began twisting her long blond hair around one finger, a seemingly unbreakable nervous habit.

"Do you understand what I mean?" Severus looked at her, pointing at the page in the textbook.

She looked at him for a moment, summoning her courage.  
She'd never backed down from anything before.

"Severus, can I ask you something?"

"Of course. That's what I'm here for." He said.

"Anything?"

"Yes." He said.

"Do you want me?"

Narcissa had never been much for tactfully approaching situations.

Snape looked at her blankly.

"Want you to what?"

She smiled.

"I mean, like, want to be with me."

He didn't say anything.

"Sexually." She elaborated, getting annoyed.

Severus shuffled his papers together.

"Miss Black, this is a very inappropriate topic."

"Just call me Narcissa. We've known each other a year.  
And answer the damn question." She said, not used to men not being interested in her. Especially when she'd put herself out like this.

"I'm your tutor." He said, still not looking at her.

"Well, maybe I could teach you a few things..." She let her voice trail off seductively, giving this one last try.

He finally did look at her.

"Why on earth would someone like you want to be with someone like me?" He asked, rather coldly.

She closed her book.

"You know what, forget it. Forget I said anything"  
She said, feeling her face burning red.

"We don't even get along." He said, refusing to drop it.

"No, you're right. It was a stupid idea. Forget I said anything, please."

He looked at her, genuinely dumbfounded for maybe the first time in his life.

Narcissa couldn't stand this. She'd never felt so humiliated.

"I'm just going to go." She said, getting her things together.

"We still have thirty more minutes."

"Yes, well, I can't concentrate today." She slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Very well. I'll see you next Thursday." Severus said,  
still looking confused.

She went to the door, and suddenly turned back to him.

"If you tell ANYONE about what I said..."

Snape sighed.

"Your secret is safe with me."

Things were back to normal between them.

And she didn't know how she felt about it.

--

She watched him, being harrassed by Sirius and James,  
after their fifth year OWLS had drawn to a close.

he felt strangely protective of Snape.

Their relationship had been as icy as ever after their awkward little discussion that one day, but she still felt something for him. Not friendship, not love, but something. She couldn't identify it, no matter how hard she tried.

And he was the reason she had just had any prayer of passing the Potions OWL she'd come from.

And now she just stood there, watching everyone laugh at him and make fun of him. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what or how to say it. He was so frustrating- without a doubt, the most complicated and intriguing person she'd ever met, but also one of the most infuriating.

She was fascinated by him, but knew that anyone ever knew how she felt, they'd just laugh at her. So she couldn't exactly talk to her so-called friends about her...crush? Was that what it was? Not exactly, but that wasas close a definition she could think of.

She watched him scramble away in humiliation, the whole crowd laughing, loudest of all Sirius and James.

She stood there with her friends, all equally pretty girls, including her sister Bellatrix, who were laughing along with everyone else.

Suddenly, she realized he was heading towards them,  
looking down, not realizing where he was going.

He ran straight into her, and her friends laughed even harder.

Snape looked up at her, and their eyes locked.

She froze. Her friends looked between him and her,  
confused.

"Excuse you!" One of her friends finally said,  
laughing.

"Sorry." He finally said, breaking eye contact and pushing past her roughly.

She watched him go.

"What's wrong, Cissa?" Bellatrix looked at her, with a strangely questioning expression on her face.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Narcissa said weakly.

The whole group looked at her.

"What a freak." Narcissa laughed, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

They all laughed along with her, Bellatrix's smile not quite reaching her eyes.

--

The next year, her sixth year, Narcissa began to receive failing grades again in Potions. She wondered if it was subconscious...some secret part of her just wanted to see him again. He never spoke to her, never even looked at her.

She hated it. Now that she knew he didn't want her,  
she wanted him so badly that she was finding it hard to think about anything else. It was horrible- it felt like she had this huge secret that was eating her alive.

She didn't care who he was, how much everyone else thought he was a freak- she wanted him. She wanted him to want her. And it was making her crazy.

One day after class, she marched right up to him.

"I need help in Potions." She said, blocking his path in the hallway.

"Oh, really? And here I thought you were doing so well." He said, totally disinterested.

"Severus-" She grabbed his arm.

"You're talking to me in public. This is unexpected.  
What if your friends see?" He said patronizingly.

"I need to talk to you." She said, not knowing what was possessing her to do this.

"About what?"

"About...Potions." She said weakly, releasing his arm.

She saw Bellatrix coming towards her out of the corner of her eye. She needed to end this quickly.

"So will you talk to me? Tonight?"

"I suppose."

"The room. Nine o'clock." She said quickly.

"Fine." He shrugged, walking off.

Bellatrix came up to Narcissa.

"What was that all about?"

"Oh, nothing." Narcissa said flippantly.

"Didn't look like nothing." Bellatrix crossed her arms.

"I just need help with Potions. He's a total brain at that stuff." Narcissa shrugged.

"I can help you with Potions. I'm already at NEWT levels." Bellatrix said, still looking confused.

"Well, he's in my same class, so he's more familiar with the material." Narcissa said, backpedaling quickly.

"Ohh-kay." Bellatrix looked at her, with that same strange expression.

"What?" Narcissa demanded.

"Nothing. You've just been so weird lately." Bellatrix said asthey began to walk down the hall.

"Sorry. Just stressed out...schoolwork, you know"  
Narcissa said, trying to keep her voice casual.

Bellatrix stopped, looking at her.

"You're lying."

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, you are."

"Look, Bella, there's just a lot going on right now."

"Well, then, tell me about it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"We talk about everything."

Narcissa sighed, getting frustrated.

"Well, not anymore."

Bellatrix looked at her, hurt for a moment. Then the hurt expression was gone, and she looked furious.

"Fine. Do whatever the hell you want." Bellatrix shrugged, tossing her long dark hair over one shoulder and storming off.

--

Narcissa sat in The Room of Requirement, nervously twisting her hair. It was 9:05. He still wasn't here.

She didn't even know what she was going to say. She didn't even know why she'd asked him to come here.

She just needed to talk to him. It was the most bizarre thing ever, but she missed seeing him every week.

The door creaked open, and he stepped into their familiar Potions room.

"Hello." He said, sitting at their familiar desks across from each other.

"Hi." She said shyly.

"What did you need to ask me?"

She swallowed hard.

"Do you miss seeing me?" She said, cursing how high her voice sounded.

Snape looked at the ground.

"I thought you wanted to talk about Potions."

"When have I ever wanted to talk about Potions?" She smiled slightly.

To her surprise, he smiled back.

"That's true. Yes, I suppose I do miss our little sessions. I like teaching." Snape said, putting his hands on the desk.

He had surprisingly masculine hands. She felt her heart jump slightly. She had never noticed before.

"That's the only reason?"

He sighed.

"I suppose this is the part where you want me to say that I'm desperately, secretly in love with you."

She blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, that's what you're wanting, isn't it?"

"I-I don't know what I want."

"Clearly."

She felt anger flare up within her.

"You care about me. I know you do." She said.

"When have I ever given you that impression? Do you think just because you're beautiful every man who spends any amount of time with you wants you?"

"Look, Severus, this wasn't easy for me to ask you here! Do you know what it would do to my reputation if anyone found out about how I feel?"

"How you feel about what?"

"Nothing! Forget it!"

"Narcissa, for once in your life, be honest." He said,  
looking straight at her.

It was the first time he'd ever called her by name.

She felt so uncomfortable under his eyes that an incredible, towering anger bubbled up through her. She got to her feet.

"No, this is so stupid. I don't even know what I'm doing here. You're a freak. You're a disgusting freak.  
No one at this school cares about you, least of all me. You're lucky I would even talk to you in public today. Probably the only time a girl's ever touched you."

Severus' eyes darkened.

"What, am I hitting a little too close to home? You know it's true! You're pathetic! You have no friends,  
you spend all your time hunched over that damn Potions book, you act like you're so much better than everyone else, and you're NOT! No one even feels sorry for you,  
because you're so horrible to anyone who tries to talk to you! Do you even know who my family is? Do you know what they would say if they found out I was talking to you right now? They'd be embarrassed! They'd be asha-"

He stood up suddenly, grabbing her upper arms.

"Stop it. Just stop talking, you arrogant bitch."

"How dare you talk to me that way." She hissed, trying to wrench her arm away.

"It's about time someone saw you for who you really are." He said fiercely.

"And I suppose you're that person?"

"I see it, Narcissa- you're weak, you're frightened to death about what everyone else thinks of you. You try to make your money and looks count for everything, but they don't. Not with me. Never with me. You're scared of me because I'm the only person who doesn't buy your story. I know this isn't who you really are." He was merely inches from her face right now, and she felt her heart speeding up slightly.

"Oh, really? And who am I?" She said shakily, tears brimming in her eyes.

"You're better than this. Somewhere, underneath, we're both better than who we've become." He said, as if he desperately needed to believe it.

There was a long moment between them, inches apart.  
Her skin felt electric, her knees were shaking.

Suddenly, he let go of her, as if mentally shaking himself and walking towards the door.

"Please don't go." She sobbed.

It all happened so quickly. One moment, she was standing there alone, in tears. The next moment, he had crossed to her, slamming her against the wall,  
crashing his mouth into hers.

They ripped off buttons, knocked over glass bottles,  
left scratches on each other's skin, but neither felt a thing. It felt like every inch of them had to be closer, every embrace had to last longer, or this moment would end and they'd be back to the lives they'd hated for so long.

They came together right there, against the wall, and it was hurried and unexpected and earth shattering.

When it ended, they awkwardly gathered up their torn and wrinkled clothes, both flushed and out of breath.  
Neither knew what could possibly be said after something like that.

Narcissa pulled on her Slytherin sweater and skirt,  
lacing up her shoes. He had pulled on what was left of his shirt, and was fastening his robes.

Finally, they were both dressed again. They sat down on either desk, still struggling for the right words to say.

There were none.

She stood up, going towards the door.

"Tomorrow night?" He suddenly broke the silence.

She turned, her face emotionless.

"Yes. Tomorrow."

--

Things continued on like this for awhile. But as the weeks passed, they began to actually talk afterwards.

They would talk about things they'd never told anyone-  
their parents, how they really felt about school, what they were afraid of, who they wanted to be. It was as if some barrier between them had been broken down that night, and now everything was out in the open. The barrier was still up with everyone else, but with each other, they finally had found someone to confide in.

They would always leave separately, and he would create clever scenarios for her to tell her friends if they asked where she'd been. He was shockingly funny-  
you'd never have any idea on first meeting, but the more they talked, she discovered he was a cuttingly witty as he was clever.

No one would ever suspect they had even met if they saw them at school. Narcissa and Severus took great care to never talk in the hallways, or even make eye contact. It was as if their room was one universe, and Hogwarts was another, and what they did in one world had no effect on the other.

Narcissa thought it was a nice, if a bit strange,  
arrangement. It was like her own private secret that she could smile to herself about when forced to spend four hours listening to her inspid "friends" talking about their hair.

He seemed happy with it as well. But one night, near the end of their sixth year, when they had planned to meet, she went there and found the room empty. She sat down, thinking he was just running late.

Nearly an hour went by until he finally came in the room.

"Severus...finally." She laughed, getting up and going to kiss him.

He stepped away from her.

She looked at him, confused.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't even know if I should come here.  
Narcissa...we can't keep doing this." He said quietly.

She blinked with surprise.

"What? Why not?"

"Because! This is horrible for both of us...all this sneaking around, lying to everyone..." He sounded strange, and she realized he had been drinking.

"Severus, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've never been able to tell anyone the things I've told you. How could that be bad?"

"Because this isn't a real relationship--we're just using each other."

"What?"

"You're using me to rebel against the way your parents and your friends want you to be."

"And how exactly are you using me?"

"I don't even know what I'm saying." Snape rubbed his temple, obviously feeling a bit fuzzy.

"You're drunk. Let's not talk about this now."

"I just don't think anything that actually is a real...friendship or whatever it is we have would require hiding from everyone else."

Narcissa looked at him.

"I can't tell anyone about you."

"Why not? Honestly tell me why." He demanded.

"I don't know." She faltered.

"Yes, you do." He said, forcing her to look at him.

"Because..."

"Why?"

"Because you're not what they want for me."

"And what exactly do they want?"

"A pureblood wizard with money. You want the truth,  
there it is."

The words hung between them for a long, horrible moment.

Finally, he spoke.

"And I will never be those things. This has to stop."

"I don't want it to stop!"

"That's life, Narcissa."

"So, what? We just never talk again, because of my parents and my stupid friends? Sod them! I don't care what they think!"

"Yes, you do! And you always will!" He said,  
frustrated.

The truth of this statement hit them both.

"So...this is goodbye, then?" She said miserably.

"I think it's best. The more we let this continue, the more we're both going to get hurt."

"And you don't think this hurts?"

"I assure you, somewhere along the road, you'll meet some man that will fit what your family wants, and you'll be ridiculously rich and happy together and forget all about me."

"I won't!"

"Yes. Yes, you will. Let's just call this what it is."

"And what would that be?" She felt like she was about to cry again.

"Not meant to be." He assured her.

"But I...I love you." She stammered.

He looked at her, with a heartbreaking expression of surprise. She wondered if anyone had ever said that to him.

"No, you don't." He shook his head.

He walked out .

And that was that.

--

Narcissa and Snape did speak occasionally after that,  
and even formed a tentative friendship after passing by each other in the common room too many times in awkward silence.

By their seventh year, she was unconcerned enough with her popularity to actually sit with him in the common room. Not at length, and not where any of her very close friends or certainly could see, but she would.  
Regulus would join them often- he rather idolized Snape, because he was rumored to be so good at the Dark Arts, and Regulus was very interested in them.

One day they'd all been sitting around the fire when Artie Fletcher, a shifty-looking redheaded Slytherin,  
approached them.

"I'm supposed to take pictures for graduation. Could you three all get together?"

Regulus jumped up, his wide, white grin firmly in place.

"Come on, you two."

"I despise being photographed." Severus said moodily.

She looked at him. Everyone would probably see these pictures.

But suddenly, she just didn't care.

"Oh, come on." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him next to Regulus.

Artie snapped the picture, gave Narcissa lecherous wink, and walked off.

--

Narcissa had graduated from Hogwarts two weeks ago,  
and was at her eighteenth birthday party.

Much of her family was already gone to assist Voldemort- a new powerful dark wizard who had been emerging as the person to get behind if you wanted blood lines to stay pure. Regulus, her father, and many others were missing from the dinner table.

Her father's good friend, Lucius Malfoy, had attended though, which she thought was interesting. She had met Lucius once or twice growing up, and thought he was extremely good-looking, but didn't really know anything else about him.

He was nearly twice her age, having just turned thirty-three, but she still harbored a slight crush on him.

To her surprise, he sat next to her at the table.

"Happy birthday, Narcissa." He said, kissing her hand.

She felt a slight shiver pass through her.

"Thank you ."

"Are you missing Hogwarts already?" He asked, cutting her a piece of chicken.

"Some parts of it." She shrugged, tossing her hair over one shoulder to give him full view of her silver silk dress that left little to the imagination.

"What are you planning to do now?"

"I'm not quite sure."

They talked for most of the night, and as she was saying goodbye to her guests, he put a small red package in her hand.

"A birthday gift." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She watched him go, thinking he was practically the embodiment of the Prince Charming she'd been wanting.  
That they'd all been wanting.

Narcissa opened the box, revealing a diamond and emerald bracelet. She gasped, clutching a hand to her chest. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry she'd ever seen. And they'd only just formally met.

He was everything she should want.

Everything she did want.

Or at least that's what she tried to believe.

--

Narcissa and Bellatrix had gone out for dinner that January at a restaurant in Knockturn Alley called The Devil's Advocate

"So...you and Lucius, huh?" Bellatrix said, taking a bite of chicken that nicely displayed her new sparkling wedding ring.

"I suppose." Narcissa smiled.

"Father will be so pleased."

"We're not engaged or anything."

"Yes, well, we'll see." Bellatrix grinned knowingly.

"Has he told you anything?" Narcissa looked up from her salad with interest.

"Not really." Bellatrix teased.

"What did he say, Bella?" Narcissa hit her arm.

"My lips are sealed." Bellatrix shrugged, giggling at her sister's expression.

"Have you heard from Andromeda at all?" Narcissa asked.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes.

"Still with that Muggle. What the hell happened to her?" She shook her head.

"I don't know. That's love, I guess." Narcissa shook her head.

"No, that's not love. That's idiotic. A Black marrying someone like that? It's embarrassing."

Narcissa tried to stop the image of Severus that flashed unbidden through her mind.

"Well, don't you think it's possible to fall in love with someone you're not really supposed to?" She asked tactfully.

"No. It's not like you just fall in love and have no choice. She chose to associate with someone like him,  
and there we are." Bellatrix said angrily,  
gesticulating wildly with her fork.

"I suppose." Narcissa said, cutting delicately into her salad.

A good while and several glasses of wine later,  
Bellatrix looked at her diamond encrusted watch.

"Sht. I've got to be going home."

"Why?" Narcissa whined, feeling more than a little drunk.

"Darling, I'm Mrs. Lestrange now. I've got other responsibilities. Here, my treat," she said, placing five galleons on the table, "Owl me later this week-  
we haven't had a good shopping trip in awhile."

Bellatrix gathered her things, kissing Narcissa's cheek.

"Love you, Cissa."

"Love you too." Narcissa said, squeezing her sister's hand.

Bellatrix left, apparating out the front door of the restaurant. Back home to her husband. Narcissa smiled.  
Who would have ever thought Bella falling in love? It seemed preposterous.

But love doesn't always make sense. These words kept flashing through her mind. Perhaps Lucius made too much sense for there ever to be real love between them. She did care for him. Cared for him greatly. But the first time he had kissed her, it had been pleasant. Nice even.

But she hadn't felt the same passion, the same insatiable need to have him kiss her, touch her. And she knew she probably never would find that again.

She sighed, wiping her mouth primly. She looked foolish here all by herself. She got up, pulling her cloak over her bare shoulders. It looked like it was a cold night out.

"Narcissa?"

She turned at the familiar voice. Regulus, her favorite cousin, had stood up from a nearby booth.

"Darling!" She said, kissing his cheek.

"I haven't seen you in ages." He said, looking worn and tired, with none of the youthful good looks that had once enlivened his fine-featured face.

"Are you all right? You look so..."

"Exhausted? Yeah, I rather am. You know, duty calls"  
He motioned to his arm, where she knew it bore the Dark Mark.

"Everything's going all right?" She asked.

His smile faltered for only a moment.

"Yes, yes, of course. Everything's moving along well."

"Well, that's wonderful. Who are you here with?"

"Oh, an old friend." Regulus grinned, motioning over to his booth.

"Hello, Narcissa."

It was Severus. Narcissa felt her breath catch in her throat. She recovered as quickly as she could.

"Severus. Hello." She extended her hand.

He took it briefly, getting up.

"Well, Regulus, I agree with your plans. Thank you for coming to me."

"Of course." Regulus said, shaking his hand.

"If there's nothing else, I really should depart"  
Severus pulled on his cloak over his black sweater.

Narcissa wondered if he ever wore any other color. She also noticed how nice his body looked under the sweater. He certainly wasn't the skinny thing she had met three years ago.

"Regulus...Narcissa, it's been a pleasure." He walked out of the restaurant.

Narcissa watched him go.

"Regulus, owl me later. Tell me everything, all right,  
darling?" She said distractedly, kissing his cheek.

She hurried after Severus, out into the cold night.

"Severus!"

He turned around.

"Yes?"

"I just...I wanted to say how good it was to see you again."

"You as well." He said abruptly.

"I've really missed you."

He looked at her for a moment, as if deciding something.

"I live not far from here...a nightcap, perhaps?" He said, extending his hand.

"Yes, please." She said, taking his hand with a smile.

--

Narcissa looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. It was beautiful, large almost to the point of gaudy, encrusted with emeralds...the kind she'd dreamed of receiving her entire life.

She was not even close to worthy of him. Who was she kidding?

She sat in Severus' small apartment, watching him get their drinks. He set them down on the table between them.

"So, it's official then." He said, following her eyes to the ring.

"Yes." She said quietly.

"I see."

She took a sip of tea in the awkward silence that followed.

"Severus..."

"What is it?" He looked at her, concerned .

"I'm pregnant."

He took a long swallow of his drink, expressionless.

"Congratulations."

"What?"

"Tell Lucius congratulations from me."

"I will."

"So the marriage is impending then, I suppose?"

"Yes. Next month."

"That's wonderful."

"You're invited, of course."

"Lucius and I have been quite preoccupied by the orders of the Dark Lord. A wedding sounds like a welcome respite."

"So, we'll see you there?"

"Yes."

"Well, I just wanted to come here to invite you personally."

"Thank you."

"Of course."

--

Narcissa fixed her pearl necklace around her neck, her white silk dress' train trailing behind her as she looked into the full-length mirror.

She looked beautiful. She knew she did. And she supposed she was happy.

What is that old saying? Be careful what you wish for?

She sighed, pulling her long blond curls over her shoulder carefully to not disturb her veil.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.

It was Severus. She turned to him. He watched her for a moment, transfixed.

"What is it?" She asked, breaking the moment.

"Lucius sent me to tell you the ceremony's ready when you are." He said, looking very nice in a black suit.

"Oh. I'll be right down."

"Very well. I'll let him know."

He crossed to her instead of leaving.

"You really do look beautiful, Narcissa."

"Thank you." She said, suddenly feeling her eyes sting slightly with tears.

"Whatever there was between us, I'm truly happy for you both." He said, touching one of her curls.

"No you're not." She smiled.

"Perhaps I'm not." He smiled back.

She hugged him suddenly, not caring about wrinkling her dress. He put his arms around her, and she felt tears begin to slide down her cheeks.

"What is it?" He drew back, wiping the tears off her cheeks.

She collapsed against him, her thin shoulders shaking with sobs that she'd been holding in for far too long.

"Severus...it's yours. Of course it's yours.You're the father." She choked out, unable to keep it inside any longer.

He pulled her back, holding her shoulders tightly.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Do you think I would have brought this up otherwise! I'd never even been with Lucius when I found out I was pregnant...it's yours."

"But we...it was only that one night..."

"I know."

His eyes darkened.

"You should have told me."

"I wanted to tell you! But I just..."

"Was too afraid." Severus said, releasing her and turning his back.

"Severus...I'm so sorry...I don't know what else to do now..."

He looked back at her with a solemn.

"We all come to a point where we must do what is necessary, Narcissa. I understand."

"You understand?" She cried, incredulous.

"Yes. Thank you for telling me."

"Please...don't ever tell anyone..."

"Asalways, my dear, your secret is safe with me. Get yourself ready- Lucius is waiting for you."

--

Narcissa heard the doorbell ring in the middle of the night.

Lucius stirred next to her, his arm around her eight month pregnant stomach.

"Darling...could you get it? I have to be up in two hours." He whispered, kissing her ear.

"Of course." She rather laboriously got up, holding her stomach protectively as she padded down the massive staircase and entryway in her white silk slippers.

Someone was furiously knocking at their door.

She opened it, seeing the scraggly, disheveled form of Regulus Black.

"Regulus! Come in, you look awful!" She said, leading him in.

He fought against her.

"No! I can't stay. Thank God you opened the door...I didn't know who else to ask."

"What is it?" She asked, startled by how upset he was.

"I can't tell you what it's about. Just...please, take this and destroy it." He pressed a ring into her hand,  
a delicate golden band.

"What is this?" She looked at it questioningly.

"Don't ask me, please! I cannot tell you...just,  
destroy it. Will you do that for me?"

"This looks like a wedding ring..." She said, turning it over in her palm.

"Will you destroy it?" He shook her by the shoulders.

"Yes, Regulus, of course." She said, not knowing what else to say.

"He's going to kill me." Regulus said, tears suddenly threatening his almost feminine big brown eyes.

"What? Who?"

"I cannot tell you...no one would understand. I must go. Please, PLEASE do this for me." He hugged her tightly, sounding like he was about to cry.

"Please tell me what's wrong." She said, hugging him back.

"Goodbye, Narcissa." He said painfully, running into the night without another word.

--

Narcissa tucked her five year old son, Draco, under the covers. His light blue eyes and blond hair nicely echoed hers, and any casual observer would have seen a resemblance to Lucius as well. But she saw the shape of his eyes, strangely wry sense of humor, and rare smiles as reminescent of one thing- Severus.

"Good night, darling." She said, kissing his forehead.

"Mummy, I'm not tired!" Draco whined, kicking his little feet into the air, his covers flying off.

"Draco, you've been up since early this morning. It's time to sleep."

"NOOO!" Draco wailed.

"Go to sleep, or I'll cancel Christmas tomorrow." She grinned.

"You can't do that." He rolled his eyes, cynical even at his age.

"Of course I can. I'm your mother."

"Father wouldn't let you." Draco said, sticking out histongue.

"He would if you don't go to sleep in the next..." She checked her watch, "Ten minutes."

Draco looked at her.

"Oh, all RIGHT." He said, pulling his ridiculously expensive sheets over his head.

"Good night, sweetheart."

"Night, mummy."

Narcissa walked down the hallway, smiling to herself,  
pulling her white silk robe close around her. The house was chilly tonight.

She went into she and Lucius' bedroom, where a nice fire was crackling in the grate. Lucius was sitting by the fireplace, staring into it intently.

Narcissa smiled, stepping in and closing the door behind her.

Lucius didn't look up at her entrance.

She threw off her robe, revealing red lingerie.

He heard the robe hit the floor, and looked over at her.

"Merry Christmas, baby." She grinned.

Lucius looked at her near-flawless figure for a moment, then sighed, looking away.

"Not exactly what I was expecting." She said,  
momentarily deflated.

She walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck.

"What is it, darling?"

He pushed her off, standing up.

"Severus told me some rather interesting news today."

Narcissa actually felt her heart stop.

"Whatever do you mean?" She said, her voice unnaturally high.

"A little secret you've been trying to conceal from me."

She thought she was going to pass out.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do." He said angrily.

She waited, feeling every thud of her heart echo in her ears.

"Regulus Black?"

She felt her heart slow down again. He didn't know.  
This was about something else. She was safe.

"Regulus? What about him?"

"You assisted that traitor?"

"What? When?"

"Five years ago, he came to you for help. Severus said he also came to him for assistance shortly before he was killed for betraying the Dark Lord. Severus, of course, reported this suspicious activity. You, on the other hand, did not."

"He just gave me a piece of jewelry, darling--I had no idea what it was about."

"Did you destroy it?"

"No, of course not. He seemed manic--I thought he had lost his mind."

"Where did you put it?"

"In my jewelry case." She pointed over to her bureau.

Lucius crossed the room, throwing open her case. After digging through her things, he finally came up with the gold ring.

He looked at it for a moment, a flash of almost frenetic pleasure crossing his features.

"You've kept it safe. And now it can be entrusted to us." He murmured, holding it up to the candlelight.

"What do you mean?"

"You must keep it protected, Narcissa. Put it in the family safe." He carefully placed it back in the box.

"What is all the fuss with this ring?" She cried out,  
exasperated and feeling rather foolish still standing here in her underwear.

"It's vitally important to me. To us. To this family.  
Just keep it safe, no matter what."

'That's all you'll tell me?" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

He crossed back to her, his hands sliding up her body, pulling her against him, that same frightening yet exciting look reflecting in his cold eyes.

"With you wearing that, you don't really want me to talk about work, do you?"

She looked at him, smiling devilishly. He really was irrestible when he got like this- something about power really turned her on.

"No, I really don't."

He kissed her savagely, and all thoughts of the ring were forgotten.

--

A sixteen year old Draco Malfoy sat by Narcissa in their living room, Severus sitting across from them.

"Draco... this is no small responsibility." Severus said.

Narcissa watched her son squirm slightly, but do his best to hide it.

"No, I want to do it."

"You honestly think you could commit murder?" Snape looked at him skeptically.

"I'll kill anyone who the Dark Lord needs. Just tell me when and where to get my tattoo." Draco shrugged,  
obviously thinking a drink would be nice about now.

Narcissa tried not to shiver at the coldness in her son's voice.

"The Dark Mark is not a tattoo, Mr. Malfoy. They hold you down while the Dark Lord burns the Mark into your flesh. If you scream, you're killed." Severus looked straight at him, a rather intimidating figure in the shadows.

Draco swallowed hard, his face flushing slightly

"I don't care. I'll do it."

Narcissa put her hand over his. Draco shrugged her off.

"Mum, please."

"All right. Narcissa, if you really think he's ready,  
I'll take him to get initiated. The Dark Lord will be very pleased."

Narcissa bit her lip.

"I don't know about this, Severus."

"Yes, I'm ready." Draco stood up.

"What does the Dark Lord want from him?" Narcissa said nervously.

"We shall know when we ask him." Severus said, handing Draco his cloak.

Draco pulled on his cloak, looking between Severus and Narcissa, whose eyes hadn't left each other.

"Go wait outside, Draco." Narcissa said, her blue eyes cold.

Draco obliged with a shrug.

Narcissa crossed to Snape, grabbing his arm.

"I don't want him to do this."

"The Dark Lord asked for him personally. If we refuse,  
he might kill us all, including Draco. And he'll do worse to Lucius than just jail, believe me."

Narcissa shook her head furiously.

"I don't want this life for him..." she lowered her voice significantly, "I didn't think you would either."

"As I've told you before, we all come to a point where we must do what is necessary, Narcissa. No matter what the cost, some things fall into place in unexpected and unpleasant ways, and there's nothing to be done about it."

"You could help him! You know you could!" She said,  
seizing the front of his robes desperately.

"We'll talk about this after his initiation."

"Please, don't make him go." She cried.

"It has to be done." He said.

"This is because you're angry with me." She looked down at her feet.

"The past has no relevance to these events. Come talk to me next week, in my usual apartment. Contact me with your Patronus to tell me of your arrival."

She looked like she was about to protest, but he suddenly raised his hand to her cheek. He hadn't touched her since her wedding day. She felt the once-familiar feeling of longing pass through her.

"When have I ever failed you?" He whispered against her ear.

She looked at him, realizing that the feelings between them would never completely fade.

Before she could reply, he was gone.

--

The memories began to flood together, memories of Draco, Lucius, Snape, Bellatrix, and many other nameless faces in a dizzying whirl of color. And everything went black.

--

Lupin and Narcissa snapped apart from each other with the force of an explosion, her chair rocketing into the back wall and Lupin being knocked onto his back.

Tonks looked up with interest. It seemed like nearly an hour had gone by. She had started to wish she'd brought a magazine.

She helped Lupin to his feet, and they both looked at Narcissa. Her eyes were locked onto Lupin's, seemingly pleading with him.

Tonks took his hand. She touched his cheek, concerned.

"Did you find out anything?"

--

A/N- Boy howdy, did he! This is the longest chapter I've ever written, and I hope everyone enjoyed. Don't be too harsh- this took a heckuva lot of work, so go easy on me, my brain's too exhausted to deal with scathing reviews right now. Thanks for sticking with it--reviews make me smile!

Next time- so what has the trio been up to during this time warp? Will Lupin spill the beans on Mrs. Malfoy?  
And the real Draco and Snape, not the memory versions,  
what have those crazy cats been doing?  
And...and...what about the Ginny girl? Hmmm...all to come next time around. 


	12. Of Horcruxes and Houseelves

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews--I promise, this chapter won't be so epic. Hope everyone enjoys! And guys- it's November. That means the Harry Potter movie is less than two weeks away. Wow. Sorry. Just had to share my geeky happiness.

Picking Up The Pieces Chapter Twelve Of Horcruxes and House-elves --

"Did you find out anything?" Tonks asked.

Lupin and Narcissa hadn't looked away from each other.

"Could you give us a minute?" Lupin said.

"She's not going anywhere. We can just step outside"  
Tonks motioned to the door.

"No. Could you give Narcissa and me a minute?" Lupin said.

Tonks tried to disguise the hurt expression that flashed across her face.

"Yeah. Yeah, of course. I'll be right outside."

She stepped out, closing the door behind her.

Neither Lupin nor Narcissa spoke for a long moment.

Finally-

"Your husband and son have no idea, do they?" Lupin said, crossing to her, pulling her chair back into position.

"Do you think Severus would be alive if Lucius knew the truth? Do you think I would be sitting here? Of course they don't know." She sniffed, her face pale and exhausted.

"Draco has the right to know who his father is." Lupin said, taking hold of Narcissa's shaking hand.

"Keep your voice down." She hissed, ripping her hand away.

"This room isn't monitored. It's just a holding cell."

"You don't know Lucius. You don't know what he's like.  
He'd kill Severus, he might kill me...he might even kill Draco."

"I don't think that's true."

"Then you're naive." She said, biting her lip.

"Narcissa, you can't keep this a secret forever."

She looked at him, her blue eyes flashing with anger.

"Who are you to judge me? You're the one screwing a nineteen year old!"

Lupin sighed, not bothering to correct her.

"Let's not stoop to this. We both know far more about each other's personal lives than either us of would have wished...that's obvious. The only things I will reveal to the Ministry is what is imperative in our search for Severus and Regulus."

"So you won't tell anyone about...what you learned about Severus and I."

"I won't."

"How am I supposed to trust you? Your girlfriend's waiting right outside, who are you more likely to lie to?" Narcissa said angrily.

"Well, Mrs. Malfoy, you're the one strapped to a chair. It really makes no difference whether you trust me or not."

"So, say that I trust you...you keep my secret, what do you want from me?"

"I want you to contact Severus. Set up a meeting."

"So you can imprison him." She said softly.

"Yes."

She closed her eyes.

"I can't. I can't do that to him."

"Then I'll be forced to tell my "nineteen year old"  
girlfriend everything I saw."

Narcissa considered this for a long moment.

"If I do this--you have to promise me Draco will never know what you saw. Promise me he'll be safe and unharmed if I do this."

"I promise." Lupin assured her.

"Fine. Then I need my wand."

--

Harry, Ron and Hermione slowly and carefully moved out the library under the cloak and into the kitchen.  
Harry gently closed the door behind them, and they took off the cloak.

"We need to split up." Harry whispered.

"Right. We have to find it faster than they can." Ron nodded.

"Someone should stay under the cloak, by the library,  
just in case they find it first." Hermione pointed out.

"I will," Harry said, "Just in case. Hermione, it looks like there's three floors to this place. You take the top one. Ron, you take the second floor. Do NOT make a noise."

"Here, give me your wands--" Hermione held out her hands.

She tapped them all three together, whispering "Alarmis."

They looked at her quizzically.

"If anyone gets into trouble, flick your wand, say 'Alarmis', and apparate out to the front lawn. All three of our wands will grow hot, and we'll know that someone needs help."

"Good idea." Harry patted her arm as they took their wands back.

"All right, we should go. Don't make a noise after this--Ron, we can go out this back entrance from the kitchen...it looks like it leads to the rest of the house. Harry, be careful. Don't take them on if you don't have to." Hermione hugged him briefly, and she and Ron left.

Harry pulled the cloak over his shoulders, making it sure it covered his feet. Damn his growing taller--it really was making this invisibility cloak difficult.

He watched Snape and Draco, sifting through book after book, not speaking.

If only his friends could find it first. Harry, for once in his life, would have the upper hand on Snape.

--

Hermione walked silently through the vast upper halls of Malfoy Manor. It was eerie up here- grotesque statues and portraits looking down on her in the endless hall, with countless doors.

Please, just let me find it. Let me find it.

She pushed open the first door of many, taking great care to not let it squeak, her wand clutched tightly in her sweaty other hand. She could hear her heart thudding so loudly she was sure it was echoing throughout the whole house.

--

Ron found the second floor to be mostly comprised of bedrooms that were the size of his entire downstairs,  
bathrooms that looked fit for a king, and endless storage rooms.

Great. This wasn't going to take anytime at all.

--

What seemed like hours later, Harry still stood there noiselessly. His feet were aching, his legs longed to bend. He felt cold and uncomfortable- this house had a horrible draft that seemed impossible to shake, even in the summer weather.

Snape and Draco seemed to be getting frustrated in their search.

Good, he thought. It's not here.

--

On her fifteenth room, Hermione saw a large collection of books stacked high in the corner. She hurried towards them hungrily, finally seeing some hope. She flipped through them furiously, praying they weren't enchanted with some anti-intruder device.

Hermione had reached the middle of the stack when she leaned against the window, putting her hand on the sill.

The glossy wood sank underneath the pressure of her hand, swinging down like a lever. She looked around,  
terrified. What had she done?

But, rather noiselessly, the lever came back up to its usual position and a spring catch on the opposite wall popped open a crack.

Hermione stepped towards it with trepidation- knowing the Malfoys, they'd probably adopted Fluffy.

She slid open the door, stepping carefully through it.

It was a room of forbidden Dark Magic materials-  
hidden, stored away from the Ministry's prying eyes.  
She saw devices of torture too horrible to even contemplate how they might be used, shrunken heads with terrified, still-moving eyes, the Hand of Glory Draco had so cleverly used last year, and there, among the dust-laden objects- Tom Riddle's diary.

Hermione picked it up, seeing the huge hole Harry had put through the middle of it. This was it. They had a Horcrux.

She smiled, flipping through its pages. She didn't exactly know how this spell worked, but she thought she might have to be holding it to see the location of the next Horcrux.

"Revelio Fracturis." She whispered, pointing her wand at it.

--

Ron was now in the Master Bedroom.

The unholy place where Draco was conceived, he thought with a grin, flipping through trinkets on Narcissa's bedstand and pushing apart the clothes in the enormous closet.

Each of these cloaks' cost probably equaled his family's income for the year, he thought, wanting very badly to mess them up in some way.

But there was no time for that. Nothing was here.

He turned around to go when a huge door at the back of the closet creaked open, nearly knocking him in the face.

What the hell?

He stepped into it. It seemed to be some kind of safe-- there were Galleons everywhere, along with sparkling jewels and what seemed to be old heirlooms of the Malfoy family.

Among the jewelry, there was a gold ring that was blinking strangely at hiim.

It almost seemed to be talking to him.

Come on, Ron. Pick me up. Take me with you.

This was getting far too weird.

But it was almost as if he couldn't move away from it.  
Unbidden, his hand dropped his wand, stretching towards the ring.

His hands closed around it, and it felt warm against his skin. This ring had to go with him.

He slid it on his pinkie finger, leaning down to pick up his wand and leave.

The wand was burning hot.

Ron panicked, trying to force his mind to apparate out to the front lawn, but somehow the rules wouldn't come to him- what were the four steps?

Suddenly, he hit the ground, flat on his face, totally immobilized.

"Your most familiar position, Weasel. Being totally useless." Draco's horribly sneering voice hit his ears as an expensive shoe crushed into the back of his neck.

Ron felt the world start to grow fuzzy in front of his eyes, and barely even heard Snape's voice when it joined Draco's.

"They're gone?" Draco asked.

"Yes. They're gone. But that's all right...we may have just acquired two things far more useful than a Horcrux."

Draco turned to look at Snape, who was staring at his hand with a slightly frightening expression of happiness.

--

Hermione and Harry stumbled into the forest outside the Manor, both out of breath and exhausted, their faces covered with scratches from the branches.

"We...have...to...go...back." Harry said, scrambling to his feet.

"Harry, no!" Hermione caught his arm.

"Ron's in there, Hermione! I'm not just leaving him behind!"

"No, of course we're not leaving him, but let not just go charging in there! We need to be careful- Snape nearly just killed us both."

"All right, we stay together and take it slow. Wands out. Stun, immobilize, everything we can do to stop them from administering the Killing Spell."

"All right." She whispered back, and they walked stealthily back towards the house.

The front door was open from Snape's hurried pursuit of them, and Harry stepped through first.

The house was totally silent.

He kept Hermione behind him as they searched the downstairs, second and third floor. No sign of Snape and Draco. And if Ron was hiding, he was doing a damn good job of it.

"Where is he?" Hermione whispered from Harry's side,  
her eyes glassy.

"He's here somewhere.. He's just waiting for us to find him, tell him the coast is clear." Harry reassured her, trying to believe it himself.

"Snape and Draco are gone." Harry finally conceded,  
sitting down on the master staircase.

"Ron? RON? Answer me!" Hermione walked down the hallway, yelling at the top of her lungs

Harry could tell she was about to cry. He couldn't let it sink in that Ron had been taken...his brain refused to process it. He knew that any moment, Ron would come bounding out of one of the rooms, that half-grin on his face, laughing at them for getting so worked up.

"RON!" Hermione yelled again, her voice cracking.

The house was horribly silent.

She sank against the wall, breaking into tears.

Harry couldn't even look at her.

Trying not to start sobbing, she swallowed hard,  
wiping the few stray tears off her cheeks.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Hermione said,  
speaking so weakly Harry could barely hear her.

"I was watching them, looking through the books, and one of the Malfoy house elves came in the room to give them drinks."

Hermione gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.

"House elves can see through Invisibilty Cloaks." She whispered, horrified she hadn't thought of this possibility.

"Yeah, see, I didn't know that. The house elf dropped his tray, started screaming 'Intruder!' at the top of his lungs, and I did the spell and got the hell out of there. Why, what happened to you?"

She took a deep breath, trying to think clearly.

"I found the diary. I did the Horcrux spell, and gold lettering in the air spelled out Malfoy Manor, as if a quill was writing it. The next Horcrux is in the Manor, Harry. But I have no idea where."

They both were finding it very hard to care about Horcruxes at the moment.

"Hermione...we'll find him. There has to be a magical way to find him."

Hermione shook her head miserably.

"No, Harry. The Anti-Tracking Potion we all took...no one can find him."

"There has to be a way!" Harry stood up angrily.

Hermione just kept shaking her head, finally letting out the sob that had been building in her throat.

"Stop crying, and think of something! You always think of something!" Harry yelled, knowing this was in no way her fault and hating himself for how angry he felt at his friend.

Hermione just cried harder, putting her hands over her eyes.

Harry felt his own eyes growing hot, but wouldn't...no, couldn't break down here. Not now.He had to think.

"What are we going to tell the Weasleys?" Hermione finally looked up, her eyes red and bloodshot.

"We don't tell them anything! We don't know anything!  
It's not as if he's dead!"

"Harry!"

"We're finishing what we came here to do, Hermione!"

"Without RON?" She looked at him incredulously.

"No...we'll find him. He'll find us. We always find each other." Harry said quietly, sinking down next to Hermione.

They stared off into the entrance hall.

"We always find each other." Hermione echoed, praying that Harry was right.

--

Lupin walked out into the hallway, where Tonks was leaning against the wall.

"Remus...what's going on? What did you see?"

"I found out how she contacts Snape. She's going to do it, and we can capture him." He said simply.

"Why on earth would she agree to that? Weren't she and Snape friends or something?" Tonks crossed her arms.

"Some of the things revealed to me about her past were of a rather...sensitive nature. Things she'd rather keep private. Nothing dangerous or anything, but I agreed to keep those things to myself if she would contact Severus."

"What kind of things?" Tonks leaned towards him,  
interested.

"I just swore to her I wouldn't tell anyone." Remus looked at her, puzzled.

"Not even me?" Tonks raised her eyebrows.

"Not anyone." He said.

There was a rather awkward pause.

"We tell each other everything." She said, obviously hurt.

"Tonks-"

"I thought we were past keeping things from each other!"

"I'm sorry, love, but I'm not lying to her about something she was so desperate to keep secret! She's entitled to that!"

"She's Narcissa Malfoy, Remus! She doesn't deserve our sympathy!"

"You don't know anything about her!"

"Oh, and what, now you two are best pals?" Tonks said,  
her voice raising in volume.

"No, because I mean what I say when I make a promise to someone!"

"FINE! Go sleep with HER tonight then!" Tonks was practically shouting now, her temper so far gone her cheeks were bright red with anger.

"You're not being reasonable." Remus said, that patronizing look on his face that always infuriated her.

"Reasonable? REASONABLE? You never appreciate anything I do for you! I save you from freezing your ass off in some cave somewhere, I do everything to make you happy, and, to repay me--you LIE to me! I give you everything, and you give me NOTHING!"

"This is not the time nor place for that discussion"  
Remus said, infuriating her with how calm he sounded.

"Fine. Find your own bloody place to stay. Oh--right.  
You can't. You have no money." She said, knowing she was being cruel but not caring.

She stormed off, running straight into her boss,  
Demetrius, who had a very quizzical look on his face.

"Nymphadora...is everything all right?" He looked between her and Remus.

Tonks tried to regain her composure.

"Yes, of course, sir. Everything's fine." She said,  
not being at all convincing.

"How did things go with Mrs. Malfoy?" Demetrius looked at Remus, who was looking at Tonks with a very crestfallen expression.

"Things went fine. I discovered how she contacts Severus Snape, and convinced her to set up a meet with him. I also discovered she had a very close relationship with Regulus Black, and received something from him that I think might have been a Horcrux."

Tonks and Demetrius looked at Lupin, stunned.

"Why would you come to that assumption?" Demetrius asked.

"There was talk about Regulus betraying the Dark Lord before his death, and he gave a gold ring to Narcissa under considerable stress, pleading with her to destroy it. It would make sense he was mounting some kind of rebellion against Voldemort. I also know for a fact that she did not destroy the ring, and it is presumbly in the Malfoy family safe."

"Very good, Mr. Lupin! Nymphadora was right about you-  
you are a very valuable asset to this investigation."

Tonks looked at her feet.

"Thank you, sir." Lupin said.

"So how should we go about setting up this meet with Severus?"

"Well, I also know that Regulus was very close to Severus, and contacted him prior to his death. He might have told him more about the ring that he shared with Narcissa...but if Narcissa was to ask Severus,  
I'm sure he would tell her everything."

"You're suggesting we let her go to meet with Severus?" Tonks snorted.

Lupin sighed, looking as if he really didn't want to continue.

"Not at all. I'm suggesting that...that you become Narcissa Malfoy."

Demetrius nodded.

"Brilliant suggestion! Nymphadora?" He looked at her,  
as if asking for approval.

Tonks shrugged.

"Fine."

"Very well. You two arrange the meet, and let me know the specifics. Good work." Demetrius patted Lupin's shoulder, walking off.

Tonks and Lupin stood there in silence.

"You should go find out the where and when of the meet. Since you two are such great pals." Tonks said,  
motioning towards the holding cell's door.

"Tonks, wait." Lupin called as she turned to go.

"What?" She said, hoping for an apology.

"There's something you should know before you agree to this...Narcissa and Snape's relationship...it wasn't just a friendship."

Tonks looked at him blankly, and then the implication hit her.

"Are you kidding?" She said, shocked.

"No, I'm not. That might affect his behavior towards you, if you are Narcissa. I just wanted to warn you."

Tonks sighed, running a hand through her blond, spiky hair.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll still do it."

"I just wanted to let you know."

She waited for a moment.

"That's all you wanted to say?"

"Yes."

He stepped into the holding cell without another look at her.

She walked off down the hallway, wanting him to stop her, wanting them to resolve this- but he didn't.

She knew she had been horrible, and should run in there after him and apologize.

But she didn't.

--

Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley and Ginny were all sitting around the dinner table.

"You're really outdoing yourself, mum." Ginny said,  
taking a huge bite of mashed potatoes.

"Thank you, dear." Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"So, Gin- first day of your sixth year is coming soon. My sixth year was one of the best of my life." Her dad grinned at her.

"Your father made the Quidditch team that year." Mrs.  
Weasley smiled at the memory.

"I never knew that, dad!" Ginny smiled.

"Yes. I was one of the Beaters."

"I cannot see that." Ginny giggled, taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Well, I had a lot of aggression those days. Still hadn't worked up the courage to ask your mum out." Mr.  
Weasley laughed.

Mrs. Weasley blushed.

"Arthur, I'm sure Ginny could care less."

"No, I think it's nice. I wouldn't really expect my year to be quite so wonderful though." She said,  
pushing her carrots around on her plate.

"They'll come back, Ginny. Of course they will. And you might even make Quidditch captain this year, no NEWTS to worry about yet, the first year you get to take classes you choose for yourself- you'll find good things about it."

"I suppose." Ginny shrugged, not at all convinced.

Her mum had neglected to mention that a war was going on. That might dampen her year a bit. It seemed to now be an unspoken rule of the dinner table that no bad news would be mentioned in front of Ginny, regarding the war.

She now knew how Harry must have felt the summer before his fifth year. Being left out of the loop was very irritating.

Her mother poured herself another glass of pumpkin juice, but suddenly let the jug drop to the ground with a clatter. Juice soaked the kitchen tile.

Mr. Weasley and Ginny looked at her quizzically.

"Arthur..." Mrs. Weasley choked out.

They both followed her gaze to the Weasley clock.

Ron's clock hand had just slid to MORTAL PERIL.

--

A/N- Next chapter- where in the world is Ron Weasley?  
And-- Ginny has a run in with Harry, Hermione has major guilt,  
Tonks and Lupin discover breaking up is hard to do, and Snape meets with Pseudo-Narcissa.

Please review! 


	13. Crying Jags and Mistaken Identities

A/N- Thanks for the reviews! Hope everyone enjoyed the movie. Thanks for sticking with the story, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

Picking Up The Pieces Chapter Thirteen Crying Jags and Mistaken Identities

Tonks sat at her desk, bristling with anger. Lupin had still not come out of the interrogation room.

She drummed her fingers on the table, forcing herself to read over Narcissa's file. It had been conducted during one of the Ministry's many inquiries into the Malfoy family. If she was going to impersonate her,  
she wanted to do a good job.

It'd be a lot easier to impersonate her if he'd tell me anything about her, she thought angrily.

Why on earth was he acting like this?

Suddenly, Lupin approached her desk, holding a bit of parchment.

She looked up at him.

"Time and place." He said simply, putting the piece of paper in her hand without touching her.

"Thank you for your assistance to the Ministry." She said coldly.

"Just doing my wizardly duty. Oh, and Lucius Malfoy is the one who told Narcissa about Regulus. Might help you." He said with a forced smile, walking away.

She stood up, catching his arm and lowering her voice.

"I hope you don't think you're staying at my place tonight."

Lupin looked over her shoulder. A few of the other Aurors were watching them with thinly veiled interest.

He sighed, leading her out into the hallway and rounding on her.

"No, I would never presume that. Don't worry- my things will be gone by the time you get home."

She faltered for a moment, thinking he was going to protest or apologize.

"Well...good." She finally said.

"Take care of yourself." He said nonchalantly.

"Yeah...you too." She said, feeling her heart thudding strangely.

Were they breaking up?

"Look...Remus...it was just a stupid fight, this doesn't mean we...I mean, does it?" She said, cursing how stupid and young she sounded.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. She suddenly noticed the gray around his temple more than ever...he looked so old. So tired.

"I care about you...a great deal. But I just...I don't think this is the best time for us."

There was a long silence. He went on.

"I don't know if there will ever be the right time for this to work."

"Don't say that." She said, fighting down a lump in her throat.

"I'm sorry. You're an amazing person, and someday, I'm sure someone-"

"Stop it!" She demanded.

"You're more than I deserve, and you've been amazing.  
I just can't...do this anymore."

"Remus-"

"Good-bye, Tonks." He kissed her forehead.

She caught him around the wrists, kissing him fiercely.

There was a long moment when it felt just like the first time they'd kissed, that same urgency and passion, but now with a delicious sense of familiarity--she knew he didn't mean what he'd said,  
no one could kiss her like this who didn't love her-

But then-

He broke away from her, walking away without another word.

--

Ron's eyes took awhile to adjust to the bright light of the room. He was lying on his side, chained at the ankles and wrists in what looked like a glass case.

Outside the glass case, he could see Draco and Snape talking quietly.

All he could hear was Draco saying, "Yes, of course.  
It's nearly done."

Snape's reply was too quiet to catch

Ron's muscles ached, his long legs throbbing slightly as if he'd been dragged in here.

He pulled himself up to a sitting position, apparently catching Draco and Snape's attention.

"Oh, brilliant. Weasel's awake." Draco's face broke into an unpleasant smile as he stepped closer to the glass.

"Don't get distracted, Draco. You've got a job to do"  
Snape held him back from the room.

"I know, I know," Draco rolled his eyes, "Hey--are you lonely in there, Weasel?"

Ron didn't answer, rubbing his eyes, his chains clinking together.

"Well, don't worry. You won't be alone for long"  
Draco snickered.

"All right, Mr. Malfoy, time to get to work." Snape took him by the shoulders, ushering him away from the glass.

Ron lay back down, flat on his back, not even wanting to think about who may be joining him.

Or what Draco and Snape would do to them.

--

Harry and Hermione sat in the hotel room Harry had just rented them, in a small town outside Darkmoor.

They had been talking about Ron's disappearance for the past hour, and still neither had no idea what to do about it.

"We should never have split up." Hermione said miserably, perched on the windowsill.

Harry was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, frustrated.

"Hermione- this isn't anyone's fault!"

"So, what, it's just Ron's bad luck? Of course it's someone's fault! It's my fault--I should have been with him, I should have-"

"We'll find him." Harry reassured himself.

"Oh, really? How?" Hermione snapped.

"I don't know how! All you've been doing for the past hour is feeling guilty! Just think! Think for ten seconds, help me think of how to find our best friend!" Harry stood up, pacing.

"Don't take this out on me!" Hermione said, her eyes heavy wtih tears but flashing with anger.

"I'm not taking anything out on you! Just do something constructive, don't just sit there and whine about it!  
You're supposed to be the one who knows everything!"

"So what, now I'm letting you down?" She stood up as well, furious.

"YES!" He yelled back.

"You're really being a bastard about this, Harry, you know that?" She spat, her voice cracking slightly.

"You're the one who-"

Suddenly Hermione stepped toward him, her arms around his neck, crying openly into his shoulder.

He hugged her back instinctively, and suddenly they realized what they really were- two friends just holding on for dear life in the midst of something neither of them could even begin to comprehend.

They had lost Ron. And neither of them had any idea how to get him back.

They stood there like that for a long time, until she was sniffling instead of crying.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I really didn't mean-" She wiped her eyes on her sleeve, stepping away from him.

"Yeah, I know. Me neither." Harry said quietly.

She sat down on the edge of one of the beds, taking in a deep breath.

"I'm sure there's a library in this town. I'll find something...some way to reverse the tracking spell"  
She said, nodding to herself.

Harry laughed weakly. Of course she wanted to go to the library.

"I'll come with you."

She smiled.

"No, it's all right. I think better alone anyway. You stay here...write to Ginny. We have to tell the Weasleys."

--

Tonks stood by the rickety sign post of Spinner's End.  
Her hair blew behind her, long and silky and blonde.

Today had been absolutely horrible, and now this little assignment promised a horrible night.

She could not believe she and Remus had broken up. It still hadn't quite set in that it had really happened.  
As promised, his things were gone when she had gotten home from work. She had sat in the living room, in the dark, staring at a picture of them for an insanely long amount of time. She supposed she should have thrown it out- isn't that what women do in these kind of situations? Burn the pictures, eat a lot of ice cream, listen to sappy Muggle music? She'd never been dumped like this, not by someone she was in love with.

And she was so in love with him.

"Narcissa?"

She spun around, surprised.

Snape was there, cloaked in all black.

She tried not to wrinkle her nose at the sight of him.

You're in love with him, come on. This is how the whole spy business works.

"Severus. Finally." She said, her voice coming out higher and much more snooty than her own.

Tonks' Auror skills had extended her Metamorphagus talent to taking on their voice, mannerisms,  
everything.

"Sorry, I'm late. We had rather a busy day."

"Really, why?" She asked, innocently leaning against the sign post.

"We managed to capture one of Potter's friends. One of those insufferable Weasley children." He shrugged.

"Oh really." She replied, trying not to react.

"So, what is it? I got your message that we needed to meet."

"Oh..." She swallowed, trying to keep her story straight. He was standing very close to her and it was making her uncomfortable.

"Where have you been? I haven't heard from you in awhile." His hand slid up her arm.

Tonks tried not to vomit.

"Oh...just lying low."

"Where? You weren't at your house."

"One of Bellatrix's old houses. I use it to hide out sometimes."

"Why were you hiding out?"

"What's with the third degree?" She laughed, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

He sighed.

"You're right. I'm sorry--it's just been a long day."

"It's fine. I just wanted to ask you--you remember Regulus, my cousin?"

"Yes, of course, I remember him."

"My husband mentioned once that he had contacted you...before he was killed."

"He did." Snape's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What did he say?"

"Why do you want to know now?"

"Because I've been hearing talk that the Ministry is looking into Regulus' death. I didn't know why...and I thought you might have some idea."

"As far as I'm concerned, he's a traitor. Why would I care how he died?" Snape said, his voice almost sounding amused.

"So you don't know anything?"

A small smile played around Snape's mouth.

"What's funny?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just...I've really missed you..." Snape leaned towards her slightly, that same oddly amused tone to his voice.

Tonks steeled herself, his lips pressing against hers.

A little voice in her head kept screaming "You're kissing SNAPE!" but she tried to ignore it.

It was over quicker than she'd expected. She couldn't help thinking--didn't people having torrid affairs kiss a little differently?

He looked at her for a long moment.

"That's what I thought."

Suddenly, his hands had seized her arms, slamming her against the signpost.

"Immobilius." He said angrily, and she felt her limbs stiffen.

"What the hell?" She shouted.

"Who are you?" He snarled.

"I'm Narcissa!"

"Imperio!" Snape shouted, his hands closing around her neck.

Tonks had fought off this curse before, but Snape administered it more powerfully than anything she'd ever experienced. She felt a strange, dreamy sensation fall over her.

"Tell me who you really are." He hissed into her ear.

"Nymphadora Tonks." She said, a lazy smile settling over her features.

Snape shook his head.

"Of course. I should've known. She's in Ministry custody then."

"Yes." Tonks said, unable to stop herself.

Snape took the spell off, pacing around the signpost where she stood frozen.

She had to admit that the power it took to administer an Unforgiveable Curse without a wand was impressive.  
Scary as hell, but impressive.

"How did you know?" She asked, still paralyzed.

"I'm assuming you know of Narcissa and I's relationship, or you wouldn't have tried something this bold."

"Yes."

"Clever, my dear. But Narcissa would never call Lucius "her husband" in front of me. One of our many pretenses, I suppose." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"My mistake."

"Well...then, Nymphadora...perhaps you can still prove useful. This might actually work out well." Snape said, looking he might actually laugh at his own brilliance.

"You're such the evil villain cliche." Tonks said through gritted teeth.

"Well, I wouldn't want to disappoint you by doing something even remotely good then." Snape said,  
grabbing her shoulder roughly and apparating with her by his side.

--

The Weasley house was quiet and somber.

Ginny's parents had finally drifted off to sleep,  
after they had been in the Ministry all day,  
frantically requesting searches for Ron. The Aurors had said they would do their best, but Ginny could hear it in their voices that they didn't think there was much of a chance. Tonks had been there, but she had been unusually quiet.

Ginny was sitting on her bed, feeling strangely empty.  
She and Ron had always been close, and she had even counted him among her closest friends at school and at home. Sure, they disagreed more often than not, but she had always looked up to him far more than she let on.

She couldn't even imagine what their family would be like without him. Didn't want to imagine.

She felt her eyes growing hot, and tried to blink them away. Her mother had been crying all day, and her father had looked close to tears all evening. They had owled all the other brothers, and Ginny didn't even want to think of what their reactions would be.

She knew they shouldn't have gone. She had said all along they shouldn't have gone.

Suddenly, there was a tapping at her window.

Ginny nearly jumped out of her skin, spinning around,  
grabbing her wand off her bedside table.

Harry was on his broom, hovering outside her window.

She hurried to the window, unlatching it.

"Harry, what--?"

He flew smoothly in the window, dismounting his broom,  
and looking around.

"Are your parents awake?"

"No, they're in bed. Exhausted. Ron's-"

"Missing, I know. I was there." Harry said, his dark green eyes not meeting hers.

"How did this happen?" Ginny asked, suddenly realizing she was in a ratty t-shirt and pajama pants.

Oh well. Stupid thing to think of at a time like this.

"Hermione, Ron, and I were looking for the Horcrux at Malfoy Manor. Draco and Snape were there, and they discovered me. Hermione and I got out, but Ron"  
Harry trailed off, leaning against her wall.

"Well, there must be some magical way to-"

"No, there's not."

Ginny blinked, surprised. Harry sounded so sure of that.

"So what did you come here to tell me?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right. I couldn't stop thinking about you." Harry said, finally looking at her.

"Harry..."

"I hate not being with you. I'm so sorry it has to be like this."

"I totally understand."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, well, not totally, but I'm not angry at you.  
Not anymore. You have a job to do. I've known that since the beginning."

"Ginny...that really means a lot to me." Harry said,  
crossing to her.

Ginny leaned her forehead against his.

"I really miss you."

"Well, when I get back from all of this, I'll make it up to you." He smiled.

"Oh, really?" Ginny said, a slight smirk crossing her features.

"Yeah. Really." Harry kissed her.

She kissed him back, smiling as they broke apart slightly.

Suddenly, Harry's hands tightened on her back, and his mouth against hers grew rough and insistent.

"Harry...my parents are home." She mumbled.

"We better be quiet then." He laughed, pulling her to him again.

She tried to protest, but everything he was doing felt good. This was unlike anything they'd ever done...Harry had always been a little awkward at this kind of thing, and she thought it was cute. But now...well, he certainly was having no problems with awkwardness. Before she knew what was happening, they were on her bed, and her ratty t-shirt was on the floor.

But suddenly, Harry pulled away.

"What's wrong?" She said, flushed and out of breath.

Harry's face broke into a smile.

"Bloody hell." He grinned.

"What?"

"He doesn't deserve you."

"What do you mean?"

Harry's hand closed over her mouth, the other arm pushing down on her chest.

"Nice bra, by the way." Harry said, looking at her in a way that made Ginny feel hot with shame.

That's when it hit her. This wasn't Harry.

She tried to scream, tried to fight against him, tried to reach for her wand, but she couldn't move. She felt paralyzed by shock, and the imposter's grip was surprisingly strong.

Slowly, Harry's green eyes began to glint with a silvery blue. His dark hair turned blonde, his nose grew longer and thinner, his skin paler, the scar disappeared, and his lips curled into a sneer.

"Thanks for the warm welcome," He sneered as she let out a muffled scream against his hand, "Oh, come on,  
Weasley. Stop complaining. Didn't you think it was nice to finally get some from someone who knows what he's doing?" Draco snickered,

She screamed curse words against his hand, finally regaining her strength and fighting against him furiously.

But before she could even really put in an effort, he had taken her wrist to apparate and they were gone.

--

A/N- So, things are not looking too great for the good guys as of late. Damn magic-- makes everything so complicated, huh? Next chapter- Ginny and Ron realize that planning is not the Weasley strong point, Tonks wishes she'd paid more attention in the Auror class on resisting Unforgiveable Curses, and Hermione and Harry have a breakthrough when a very unexpected source reappears. 


	14. AwkwardMomentswVoldemort&UnexpectedV

A/N- Thanks for the reviews everyone! Ya'll really keep me writing--hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Fourteen Awkward Moments with Voldemort and an Unexpected Visitor

Ron woke up the next morning--or at least he thought it was morning. The glass ceiling showed the sky above him, and it was a dusky red. He had slept horribly-  
his back ached, and he felt a bruise forming on his side where he'd fallen flat after being stunned.

He realized with a horrible shock that Draco was standing outside the cell.

"Watching me sleep, Malfoy?" Ron grunted, sitting up wearily.

"No, actually. I did make out with your little sister,  
though." Draco said, looking at his fingernails with a bored expression.

Ron snorted, closing his eyes to fight off a massive headache that was forming.

"Yeah, okay. Whatever."

"Ask her yourself."

Ron's head snapped up.

His face went instantly pale. Draco had unceremoniously pulled Ginny into view, in her pajamas, her hair messy and disheveled, and an absolutely miserable expression on her face.

"Go on, Weasley. Tell your brother what you thought of my stirring performance." Draco whispered in her ear.

Ginny grimaced, pushing against him.

He slammed her against the glass, Ron's cries of protest barely heard from within the glass encasement.

"Tell him." Draco hissed.

Ginny told him to do something very rude.

"Well, before I do THAT, I'll tell your dear brother.  
You see, your little hero complex best friend left a little blood behind in his daring escape from Malfoy Manor. Blood that Snape and I happened to notice.  
Blood that we used to make Polyjuice Potion. That's right, Ronnie. I was your beloved Harry for a few hours last night. And little Ginny here bought it...I mean, we were practically rounding third base before she figured it out." Draco smiled devilishly.

Ron was staring determinedly at the floor, trying to focus on the soft buzzing in his ears and tune out what Draco was saying.

"Look, Ginny, your brother doesn't even care. Maybe we should give him a live show?" Draco said, holding her upper arms tightly and crashing his mouth into hers in what could hardly be called a kiss.

The buzzing suddenly grew louder. Ron couldn't take it anymore.

"GET YOUR BLOODY HANDS OFF HER!" Ron stood up,  
slamming his fists into the glass.

Draco laughed, releasing her and magically unlocking the cage, throwing Ginny in as if she weighed no more than a child.

She hit the floor next to Ron, swallowing a cry. Ginny had never felt more miserable or humiliated.

Ron was instantly at her side, helping her into a sitting position.

"Gin-" He said, feeling his voice choked. He couldn't stand to see her like this.

She suddenly hugged him tightly, like they hadn't done since they were young children.

"I'm so stupid, Ron. I'm so stupid." She cried into his shoulder.

Draco rolled his eyes, snickering and walking away,

"Gin, you are not stupid. Don't even think that." Ron said, stroking her hair.

She just cried harder, horrible, choking sobs that seemed painful.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" She finally managed to say.

"Do NOT even think that. We're not going to die." Ron said, doing his best to sound completely convinced of that.

"Harry can't save everyone, Ron."

"Harry and Hermione are two of the best wizards Hogwarts has ever HAD, they'll find us. And mum and dad will be looking, which means the whole ministry will be looking so...Gin, please don't cry." He said helplessly, as she swallowed a sob, forcing her bottom lip not to tremble.

"You're right. We're in this together...we'll be fine." She said shakily.

"Yeah. Whatever happens, I'm here with you." Ron said,  
pulling her to his shoulder.

There was a long silence, as she started to regain her composure and stop crying.

"R-Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I should've told you a long time ago...thank you."

"For what?"

She looked up at him with a tearful smile.

"For being the kind of older brother every girl wishes she had. For being one of my best friends. For not freaking out about me and Harry. For teaching me how to play Quidditch. For...I don't know, for everything."

Ron smiled, his ears slightly red.

"You're welcome. We'll get out of here, Gin. We will."

"I know we will." Ginny said softly, looking out the glass wall.

She looked down. All around them was complete blackness, as if they were floating. Above them, the sunset beat down on the glass, making it uncomfortably hot.

Harry and Hermione WILL find us, Ginny repeated to hersel.f.

Of course they would. The Boy Who Lived and the smartest girl to ever pass through Hogwarts would think of something.

She leaned against Ron's shoulder, and just listened to his steady breathing.

--

Kingsley Shacklebolt looked up from his desk, seeing Tonks walk through the door to the Auror's Offices.

"Tonks! Hey, Tonks-" He got up, jogging over to her.

She looked at him with an odd, detached expression.

"How'd it go with Snape?"

"I need to see Narcissa."

"Er...all right. Did you get Snape in custody?"

"Yes. He's in the holding cell next to hers."

"Really? I didn't see anyone new checked in."

"How about you just let me do my job?" She snapped.

Kingsley blinked. He couldn't remember her ever losing her temper with him.

"Is everything all right? That whole scene with you and Remus looked kind of..."

"I'm fine." She shrugged.

"All right...well, everyone else has basically gone home for the night. Just turn out the lights when you leave, all right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Kingsley patted her shoulder, getting his jacket and going to leave.

She walked off to the holding cells. Kingsley watched her go, unable to shake the feeling something was off.

He followed her, waiting outside the door, listening.

"Mrs. Malfoy, you're coming with me."

"Where am I going?"

"Severus needs to see you."

Kingsley pushed the door open, shocked. Tonks was taking off Narcissa's restraints.

"Tonks, have you lost your mind? She's a high-security prisoner!"

Tonks looked at him for a long moment, that same vacant expression on her face.

"W-Where's Severus? You said he was in the next holding cell..." Kingsley looked around the room.

"Someday, you'll learn to mind your own damn business.  
Sorry, Shacklebolt. Can't have awkward questions being raised with the Ministry." Tonks said, taking out her wand.

"What are you doing?" Kingsley was too shocked to even reach for his.

Before he could move another muscle-

"Avada Kedavra!" Tonks shouted, a blast of green light hitting him square in the chest.

He hit the ground, lifeless.

Narcissa looked at her, shocked.

"Perhaps I underestimated you." She said shakily.

"Perhaps everyone did. Let's go." Tonks took hold of her wrist.

--

Hermione and Harry sat in the wizarding library a few blocks from their hotel. Almost everything in Darkmoor was wizard-friendly. It was like the high-end Knockturn Alley, and Harry felt immensely uncomfortable. He had a feeling he wouldn't be too popular here.

"Harry, I've looked through this whole bloody library,  
and there's nothing!" Hermione threw the next book down, furious.

She got a very reprimanding look from the librarian and several "shhhs!" for her outburst.

"Hermione, we'll find it. Just check the rest of the books out, and we'll go over them at the hotel." Harry whispered, very much wanting to leave. More and more people who looked rather sketchy were watching them now.

Hermione buried her head in her hands.

"Did you write Ginny?" She asked, her words muffled.

"Yeah, I just sent it before I came. Told her about Ron. I can't even imagine what this is going to do to the Weasleys." Harry said softly.

"Maybe she'll think of something. we can do. Ginny's smart." Hermione looked rather manic when she lifted her head up, her brown curls wildly disarrayed, ink smudges on her cheeks from the book.

"Seriously, Hermione, let's just check these out. You look exhausted, and I'm getting some very dirty looks.  
It's not long before they start hexing me out of here."

Hermione looked at her fellow patrons of the written word, who seemed to be all looking at Harry with looks of growing disgust and recognition.

"All right." She said a little nervously, gathering up her remaining pile of spellbooks.

--

"My lord, things are going uncommonly well at the moment." Severus said.

Voldemort had to admire the fact that he was the only Death Eater who seemed completely unflappable in his presence.

"Oh really, Severus? And why is that?"

"Draco and I have gained custody of Ron Weasley,  
Potter's best friend, and Ginny Weasley, Potter's girlfriend." Severus said with a cruel smile.

Voldemort's inhuman face twisted into something resembling a smile as well.

"Very good, Severus."

"And I've also acquired one Nymphadora Tonks, a Ministry Auror. She has already proved useful under the Imperius Curse."

"How so?"

"I've retrieved Narcissa Malfoy from Ministry custody."

Voldemort's expression darkened slightly.

"What possible use could Lucius' wife be? Get Lucius out of prison if you're going to get anyone."

"I'm working on that, my lord."

Voldemort looked at him for a long moment, trying with every Leglimens skill he possessed to see if Severus was lying. But, as usual, Severus' mind was maddeningly impenetrable.

"Very well. Is Narcissa here?"

"Yes."

"Bring her in."

Severus nodded, exiting the large, ornate room for a moment.

He re-entered with Narcissa at his side, looking exhausted but beautiful as ever.

She fell to her knees in Voldemort's presence.

"My Lord, it is an honor."

"Rise, Narcissa. Let me look at you."

She obeyed, shaking her long sheet of blond hair back.

Voldemort noticed Snape's eyes rest on her for a moment longer than necessary as she rose. Just a few seconds, but long enough to cause him to notice.  
Voldemort found this amusing.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Malfoy. I assume you'll be assisting Severus in his effort against Harry Potter?"

"I will do anything the Dark Lord requests." She said,  
looking subserviently at the ground.

"Well, that's what I like to hear." Voldemort smiled slightly, folding his thin fingers together.

Severus and Narcissa stood there, Snape looking up as if awaiting further instructions.

"Continue your search for the Horcruxes, Severus. I'm sure Narcissa and Draco will assist you. Rather a family affair, isn't it?"

Narcissa froze for a moment.

"You know, mother and son." Voldemort said casually,  
fascinated by how strange they were acting.

"Actually, my lord-" Severus stepped forward.

"Yes?" Voldemort replied, his eyebrows raised.

"May I offer a suggestion?"

"Of course, Severus. I hold your opinion in the highest regard."

Snape looked at Narcissa for a brief instant.

"Well, I actually can't take all the credit for this."

"Do continue."

Severus took a small breath.

"Very well."

--

Mr. Weasley woke up the next morning to a blood curdling scream.

He raced down the stairs in his boxers and robe,  
flustered.

His wife was sitting on the kitchen floor, crying like a little girl.

"Molly, darling, what is it? What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, pointing a trembling finger at the clock.

There were now two clock hands pointed at MORTAL PERIL.

Arthur's face paled, and he felt his knees start to shake uncontrollably.

"Ginny? GINNY?" He raced back up the stairs to his only daughter's room, throwing the door open.

It was empty, and her window was open.

"GINNY?" He raced all around the house, refusing to believe this was possible.

Their house was supposed to be so well-protected, no one could have gotten in without being allowed to enter, this was impossible...

All during his search, he tried not to listen to Mrs.  
Weasley's cries.

When he had searched the entire house, he collapsed into the kitchen chair, feeling utterly helpless. He could barely even hear Molly ask him what they were going to do. He was soaked in sweat, and his heart seemed to be pounding unnaturally fast.

His little girl was gone.

--

Harry and Hermione entered the hotel through the glass doors, Hermione falling into the lobby's couch as Harry took their coats to the rack.

The wizard at the front desk looked up at them.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Harry turned to the man.

"Yes?"

"I showed your guest up to your room." The man said.

Hermione and Harry looked at each other, puzzled. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing. Some dark wizard had discovered they were here. Possibly the man at the front desk was a spy of some sort.

Hermione nervously picked up her books.

"Thank you." She said to the man at the front desk with a false smile on her face.

She and Harry stepped onto the lift, riding up to their room on the fourth floor.

"Harry, should we even see who it is? Should we just run for it?"

"What if it's Ron?"

"Harry, if it was Ron, he'd have no way of finding us."

"I have to check. You stay here."

"You're not leaving me alone in this place!" Hermione hissed, struggling with her huge stack of books.

"Fine. Come with me. Put those books down...get your wand out." Harry hissed as they made their way quietly down the hallway.

She complied, and Harry pulled out his wand as well.  
He put the ancient key in the ornately decorated lock,  
turning it cautiously.

The door to their room swung open, revealing the star-lit living room. Night had fallen outside.

In the twilight darkness, they saw a figure sitting next to the fire place, warming their hands.

It was a man's build. He turned to look at the door upon their entrance.

Harry and Hermione's wands clattered to the floor in shock.

"This place was as cold as a tomb. Hope you don't mind I put a fire on." Sirius Black said, grinning.

--

A/N- Yes, my friends, that's right! Black is back!  
With an explanation, I promise. Keep reading--it's coming next chapter. As is Snape and Narcissa trying to navigate an office romance with their kid constantly around, the murder in the Auror office bringing up some questions from Scrimgeour, Lupin finding out his ex-girlfriend has apparently lost her mind, and Ron and Ginny playing "20 Questions" during all their free time. Just kidding on that last one.  
Kinda. 


	15. Laughing Fits and Hugs All Around

A/N- Merry Christmas to you and yours! I love all of you, and thank you so much for sticking with this story!

Picking Up The Pieces Chapter Fifteen Laughing Fits and Hugs All Around --

"This place was as cold as a tomb. Hope you don't mind I put a fire on." Sirius said, grinning.

Harry couldn't speak. He actually couldn't make his brain form words.

Hermione stepped forward tentatively.

"Sirius...where have you been? What happened?" She dropped to her knees beside him.

"That's the best welcome I get?" Sirius laughed.

Harry swallowed hard, feeling tears forming in his eyes from sheer surprise.

"From my own godson?" Sirius got to his feet, crossing to Harry.

Harry looked up at him, Sirius' dark eyes reflecting the light from the fire, his mouth curving into that knowing grin that always made Harry want to smile back. Sirius looked thin and gaunt again, but there wasn't the darkness that had hung over his eyes when Harry had first met him.

And suddenly, not knowing what came over him, Harry hugged him tightly.

Sirius put his arms around Harry, and just held him for a moment.

Harry felt the tears break the surface, and so he quickly stepped away from Sirius.

"I thought you were gone." He said quietly, absently wiping the tears off his cheeks.

"You should've known I'd find a way back. I did promise your parents I'd look out for you after all"  
Sirius said,

Harry nodded, unsure of what he could say that could possibly convey the effect Sirius' "death" had had on him.

"So what did happen to you?" Hermione interjected again, always one to want to go straight to explanations.

Sirius smiled at her, sitting down in the closest armchair, lazily throwing one long leg over the other.

"Well, after I'd fallen through the curtain, I thought it was over. Everything was dark. Nothing really happened...I just lay there for awhile...it felt like I'd fallen a long distance. I thought, if this is the afterlife, it's not really worth all the fuss people make about it. That's when I realized there were other people in there...I could never see their faces, but I started talking to them. They told me that the curtain is almost like a Portkey- if you fall through it,  
you're transported to this...sort of prison where Voldemort keeps people he wants the world to believe dead. He uses them to test new curses,  
potions--anything he or his cronies think of."

Hermione let out a little horrified gasp at this.  
Sirius took no notice, and continued.

"Once a month, a Dementor came in and took one of us out at a time. We were fed and given water, but nothing else. So there wasn't much to do but talk to each other. They told me stories about people who hadn't been killed by the experiments, who were returned back...how they were just hollow shells of a person, empty and emotionless. Some of them wouldn't even speak anymore...or eat. They'd just waste away until they died, and then they'd be removed. This whole time, I was planning my escape. To myself, of course. I figured if I could escape Azkaban, I could escape whatever this place was."

"And you did?" Hermione said, sitting crosslegged on the ground in front of him.

"Well, yeah. My turn finally came around, the Dementor took me out, I transfigured into Padfoot, and high-tailed it out of there. It wasn't that difficult--it was just some ancient old castle I was in...pretty easy to lose someone, especially if you're a dog and can fit in tight spaces. Dementors can only track humans...they feel vibrations of human emotions,  
and follow them. They couldn't find me, and by the time they reported my escape to Voldemort, I was long gone."

"Why couldn't I talk to you in the mirror?" Harry demanded.

"I wasn't anywhere near mine, Harry. It's kind of like a Muggle telephone...I have to be close enough to mine to hear you calling. Which is incidentally, how I found you two."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, seemingly mortified her tracking potion had failed.

"My side of the mirror can find Harry's wherever it is, and vice versa. Voldemort must have made the prison Unplottable, or else it would have led you to me. You must have taken it with you, because it led me here." Sirius explained.

"Yeah...yeah, I did. I started taking it most everywhere with me." Harry said softly, motioning to his trunk.

Hermione looked at him questioningly.

"I just thought...maybe...I should have it around"  
Harry said lamely, not wanting to explain how often he had checked the mirror when he was alone.

He hadn't ever actually expected Sirius to come back though.

It still hadn't quite sunk in that his godfather was here, sitting within arm's reach.

"So are you all right?" Hermione asked gently.

"I'm fine. Never been better." Sirius interlocked his fingers, leaning his head back against them casually.

"Really?" Hermione looked skeptical.

"Yes, really. I escaped, I found you two...which, by the way, where's Ron?"

Harry and Hermione shared a painful look.

"We lost him when we went to the Malfoy Manor"  
Hermione said softly.

"What on earth were you doing at Malfoy Manor?" Sirius looked confused.

Harry began to explain their journey.

--

Narcissa Malfoy sat next to one of the windows in the old, decaying castle Voldemort was using as his temporary residence.

"Mum?" Draco entered the room, looking confused.

She looked up, smiling widely, her white teeth blinding.

"Darling!" She got to her feet, pulling Draco against her chest and embracing him tightly.

Draco laughed slightly, stepping away.

"Let me breathe, mum. Snape told me you were here.  
How'd they get you out of custody?"

"Long story, dear. Look at you." She held his face in her hands, so happy to see him that she felt rather dizzy.

Her son, her precious boy, was safe. All because of Severus.

"I look the same as always." Draco rolled his eyes.

"No, you just...look so old. It just hit me all of a sudden. You're really an adult now, Draco."

"Not quite. I don't turn seventeen for a few months"  
Draco sighed.

"You know what I mean." Narcissa ruffled his blond hair, still as soft as it had been when he was a baby.

"MUM." He hit her hand away, blushing slightly.

His mother had always been very affectionate with him,  
and the older he got, the more it annoyed him. At least no one was around to see him.

"Isn't this touching." Severus said from the doorway.

Draco turned, thinking he was being cruel, but then seeing a slight smile on Snape's face.

How odd. He had never seen Snape even come near smiling, unless he was mocking Potter. But this looked different. Genuine. Not malicious. It was unnerving.

"Severus, I think the Dark Lord was pleased with our suggestion." Narcissa smiled back.

"Of course he was. It was brilliant." Snape shrugged,  
crossing to them.

She giggled, her hand on Severus' arm as she laughed.

Draco suddenly felt immensely uncomfortable. Why should he? It was just his mum and his favorite professor, who, from how they were acting, were old friends. He guessed he'd never really seen them around each other, and it was always strange when parents and teachers had friends and lives outside of Draco himself.

"What suggestion?" He chimed in.

They both looked at him as if just remembering he was there, the congenial mood between them suddenly gone.

How unfair. And his mum had been so happy to see him it was humiliating only moments earlier.

"Nothing, dear." Narcissa said, clearing her throat.

"Nothing of importance, Draco." Severus said, his smile fading as he put his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Just wondering." Draco muttered, wishing he could think of some reason to get out of here.

The three stood there in awkward silence for a moment.

"Doesn't Draco look older, Severus?" Narcissa finally said, weakly attempting conversation.

Snape made a noncommital noise.

Draco clapped his hands together, rocking back on his heels.

"Well, I'll let you two catch up."

"Where are you going?"

"Check on the Weasels." Draco shrugged, walking off,  
and closing the heavy wooden door behind him.

Narcissa and Snape stood there for a moment after he'd left, now even more unsure of how to act. It was the first time they'd been alone together in some time.

"We should owl our contact. Make sure the plan went off all right." Severus finally said.

"Yes, we should." She said, a little irritated that THAT was what he wanted to talk about.

Severus looked down at the floor.

She reached out, taking hold of his hand.

"I've missed you." She said quietly.

Severus stepped away, breaking contact between them.

"Not here, Narcissa. It's not the time."

"I didn't mean we should---I've just missed you." She said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Snape nodded.

"We'll talk about this some other time."

"When? When Draco comes back?" She asked sarcastically.

"No. When there's absolutely no chance of him walking in and hearing the truth. Can you imagine what that would do to him?"

Narcissa sighed.

"Fine. I'll owl the contact."

She walked off towards the door, trying to pull it open.

"You look good, though." Snape said to her back with a slight trace of awkwardness, as though trying to make up for brushing her off.

"After seventeen years, that's the best you can do?  
Now I remember why you're such a lady killer." She looked at him, smiling slightly as she finally got the door open.

She waited for a moment. Snape didn't reply.

She rolled her eyes, leaving.

--

"Tonks and Shacklebolt haven't reported in?" Demetrius walked around the office, seeing both of their desks empty.

His assistant shook her head.

Suddenly, one of the Aurors, a tall Indian woman named Shoreh, came bursting out of the holding cells with an ear splitting scream.

"Kingsley's dead! And Narcissa Malfoy's gone!" She shouted for everyone to hear, terrified.

Words of "breach within the Ministry" and "could have been one of our own" echoed through the shocked office.

Demetrius raced into the holding cell rooms, seeing Kingsley spread-eagled on the ground, motionless.

"The Killing Curse." Demetrius said under his breath,  
rolling Kingsley over to see that there wasn't a mark on him.

"Whoever did this could have gone after Tonks as well." Demetrius' assistant said shakily.

Demetrius buried his head in his hands, his brain going a million miles a second. No one could kill an accomplished Auror this easily other than a Death Eater.

Or a fellow Auror, some horrible voice in his brain spoke.

"Contact her friend...that Remus man. See if he's seen her lately." He told his assistant, trying to keep his cool.

"I think they had a bit of a falling out-" His rather gossipy assistant whispered.

"JUST DO IT!" Demetrius snapped.

--

"This whole captive thing is more boring than you'd think." Ginny sighed, lying on her back, staring up at the gloomy midday clouds.

"No kidding." Ron yawned.

"You want to play a game?" Ginny rolled over onto her stomach, looking at her older brother hopefully.

"Are you serious?"

"Well, not if I'm keeping you from something." She grinned, the first time she'd smiled since being here.

"Fine. What kind of game?"

"Umm..."

"How about "Whose Going to Fail at Life the Most?"

Ron and Ginny looked over at Draco.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't even funny." She said.

"Not your best effort." Ron shrugged, as if pitying him.

"Sod off. At least I'm not imprisoned." He pointed out.

"Oh yeah, Malfoy, you could leave whenever you wanted,  
right?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

Malfoy sputtered for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Ron and Ginny laughed, giving each other a high-five.

"We've shut him up at last." Ron snickered.

Draco merely glared, turning and leaving.

This abrupt exit made them only laugh harder. It seemed absurd to be laughing in a glass prison cell,  
but hey, their family made even the bleakest situation look all right. Besides, there didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. What was wrong with having a laugh?

--

Lupin sat on a cliff outside the werewolf cave, lost in thought. The werewolves had recently moved, like a pack of animals, to a new location. Greyback had taken him back into the group, but seemed to be growing more and more suspicious of him.

He looked at the letter in his hands from the Ministry. An owl had swooped by the cave, and Lupin had recognized it as one of the tawnies usually used by Ministry Post. He had followed it on a hunch to this cliffside, and he'd been right. It was addressed to him, telling him that Tonks had disappeared. No one could find her after she had gone to meet with Snape,  
and they wanted to know if he knew her whereabouts.

He had lost her. Just what he'd warned her would happen if he started to care about her. About bloody anyone.

Lupin had just totally blown the one relationship he had left that meant anything to him. He had just felt so tired, so inadequte that he couldn't even face her anger. And now it was over between them. And now she was gone...maybe even...

He couldn't even think it.

When he'd lost Sirius and found Tonks, he had promised himself to never let someone down again the way he felt he'd let down Sirius.

And now he'd done just that.

The memory of the look in her eyes when he'd turned to walk away wouldn't leave him alone.

What if that was the last time he ever saw her?

Lupin sighed heavily, leaning back on his elbows to look up at the cloudy three quarter moon. Nearly time,  
he thought to himself.

Suddenly, something was behind him.

Lupin turned, expecting one of his fellow werewolves.  
He thought he'd heard something earlier.

But it was a stag...a glowing form of a stag.

Harry's Patronus.

"What is it?" He asked it, sitting up worriedly.

Harry and his friends had disappeared, he had heard people at the Ministry mention it when he had gone back there with Tonks.

They were hurt. They were in trouble. His mind started racing with a million horrible possibilites.

"Sirius." The Patronus said simply.

Lupin swallowed hard, confused.

"Excuse me?" He said shakily.

"Sirius is alive."

Lupin felt as though he was going to fall flat on his back. His arms started shaking.

"What do you mean?"

"Your friend is alive. Harry Potter and Hermione Granger require your assistance, if you'll follow me to a proper Apparition spot."

And the Patronus began to canter off.

Lupin jumped to his feet, not worrying about leaving,  
not worrying about what it could cost him- if Sirius was alive, he'd do anything to see him again.

He followed the Patronus, running as fast as he could.

Greyback stood a slight distance back, watching Lupin.

He chomped on his cigarette for a moment, laughing humorlessly. So the rumors were true. Lupin was in league with Harry Potter.

"Interesting." He snarled, throwing the cigarette to the ground and crushing it until the embers died.

--

A/N- Oh, Remus. You throw caution the wind and look what happens. Next chapter- Remus and Sirius reunite,  
and begin to help in the search for Ron and the Horcruxes, Harry finds out Ginny's missing, Draco plans his next great clever retort to really show Ron and Ginny who's the cleverest, and Narcisssa and Severus go on a date. To break Lucius out of jail.  
Stay tuned...

And have a very Merry Christmas. 


	16. StormsoakedConfessions&SpecialDeliveries

A/N- Sorry for the delay! Just moved back in for my spring semester of college, things have been rather hectic. Enjoy!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Sixteen Stormsoaked Confessions and Special Deliveries --

"So, what did you want to do after Hogwarts?" Ginny asked, lying on her back.

"I dunno...I never really figured all that out. I never really plan all that much, just kinda keep going onto the next thing." Ron shrugged.

"Didn't you say once you wanted to be an Auror?"

"Yeah, I mean, the thought crossed my mind- but that's more Harry's territory, anyway. And I doubt they'll be just dying to hire me if I didn't even graduate from Hogwarts."

"I think you'd be good at it." Ginny said absently.

"What would you want to do?"

"Quidditch, maybe. Have kids eventually."

"Really?" Ron raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, really."

"Didn't figure you for being that domestic."

"Why? I like kids." Ginny shrugged.

"No, you'd be a great mum, it's just funny. I always saw you as one of those independent-woman types."

"Yeah," Ginny laughed, "I always figured Hermione would have tons of kids and I could just be their fun aunt. But I don't know...a few of my own would be nice. Mum would be so disappointed if I didn't carry on the family legacy of ridiculous amounts of children."

She looked over at Ron, who had fallen silent.

"What?"

"Why would you be the "fun aunt" to Hermione's kids?"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Because I always thought they'd be yours, stupid."

Ron turned red.

"Why would you think that? We've never even dated."

"I know. I just always thought you two would end up together. I mean, it's obvious you like each other."

"That doesn't mean we're going to have tons of kids together! We've never even kissed!" Ron said, his voice squeaky.

"Ron, it was just hypothetical. Breathe."

They fell into silence for a moment. Ginny looked at her brother skeptically.

"You've never even kissed? Really?"

Ron turned even more red.

"Gin, come on. This is weird."

"Just tell me."

Ron sighed, shifting around nervously.

"Well, okay. Once."

"When?" Ginny sat up, newly interested.

"Well, it was after the wedding...you and Harry were off arguing or whatever, and we had danced to a few songs, and then we went for a walk down to that lake behind our house and-" Ron suddenly stopped talking,  
looking up at the glass wall.

Ginny turned around as well. Bellatrix Lestrange was standing there, smiling wickedly.

"I need to see you for a moment, pretty little girl"  
She cooed, tracing a line on the glass with her finger.

Ginny looked at Ron, frightened.

"Why do you need to see her?" Ron demanded, standing up in front of Ginny.

"It's a girl thing. You wouldn't understand"  
Bellatrix grinned.

"No way. If you take anyone, you take me." Ron said defiantly.

"Touching. But no. The Dark Lord has requested I take the girl, so I take the girl." Bellatrix shrugged, as if this was out of her hands.

"NO!" Ron shouted.

"Don't make me hurt you. I'm afraid I'd enjoy it so much I wouldn't stop." Bellatrix withdrew her wand,  
caressing it lovingly.

Ginny put her hand on Ron's arm.

"Ron, it's okay. I'll go."

"No! What if they hurt you?"

"I'm not going to hurt her...we're just going to have a day of beauty. Bellatrix style." Bellatrix said,  
throwing open the door.

"What do you mean?" Ron said.

"She'll tell you all about when she returns."

Ginny walked hesitantly towards the door. Bellatrix grabbed her roughly by the arm, leading her away.

Just as she was closing the door behind her, Ron didn't know what made him do it, but he made a run towards it.

Bellatrix giggled, slamming it in his face. Ron hit the floor with a loud thud.

"Ooh, good one, Gryffindor. So brave, but not so bright."

--

Narcissa woke up the next morning in one of the freezing cold bedrooms of the castle. She started when she realized Severus was standing in the room.

"What are you doing here?"

Snape sat down in the chair across from her bed,  
looking troubled.

"We have a new mission."

"What?" She pulled the sheets around her, sitting up.

"We're to extract Lucius from prison."

Narcissa looked puzzled.

"Why?"

"Because that's what he's asked us to do." Snape said,  
throwing her a dressing robe.

She looked at him, irritated, as she took the robe and put it on over her slip.

"I KNOW that, don't give me that company-line sht.  
Why do you think he wants us to get Lucius now?"

"I don't know." Snape shrugged.

She looked skeptical. Snape hardly ever admitted ignorance.

"Fine. I'll get dressed."

"All right."

--

Sirius was sleeping soundly on the couch when Hermione woke up early the next morning.

Harry was sitting by the window, looking over at the couch.

"Morning." He said quietly when Hermione sat up in bed.

"Why weren't you sleeping?" She asked, running a hand through her disheveled curls.

"Couldn't sleep much. I mean...it's Sirius. Right here in this room. I just can't get over it." Harry smiled.

Hermione didn't say anything.

"What?" Harry looked over at her.

"Nothing...it just seems a little strange. That he just, appeared out of the blue."

Harry sighed.

"Hermione, come on. Only Sirius would have known about those mirrors."

She sighed.

"You're probably right."

"Probably?"

"Harry, I just don't want you to get so excited about him coming back that you let your guard down."

"My guard down? Against what?"

Sirius stirred at their raised voices.

Harry and Hermone instantly fell silent, looking over at him.

"Are you two arguing? Isn't it a little early?" He said sleepily, checking his watch and groaning when he saw the time.

"Sorry, Sirius." Harry said, walking over to the couch.

"Yeah, sorry." Hermione said, joining him.

"What were you talking about?" He blinked in the sunlight coming through the window, managing to look very attractively disheveled.

"Nothing." Harry said quickly, giving her a look.

Hermione bit her lip, not saying anything.

"I told Lupin you're here." Harry said, looking a little nervous.

Sirius looked at Harry, a strange, painful expression flitting across his face. It was soon replaced by one of mild interest.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I sent my Patronus last night."

"How on earth did you know how to do that?" Sirius laughed.

Harry motioned his head towards Hermione.

"Imparting her wisdom." Harry laughed.

"We could all use a little of Hermione's wisdom"  
Sirius grinned.

Hermione blushed, looking at the floor, and Harry knew all thoughts against Sirius were forgotten.

She was a sucker for flattery.

Besides, who was she to ruin this for him?

--

Draco squared his shoulders, walking up the long staircase to the tallest tower of the castle.

Wormtail was standing in the front of the room, making a pathetic imitation of a guard.

"I want to see him." Draco stood in front of the door Wormtail was currently blocking, that simperingly patronizing expression on his horrible little face.

"You cannot just walk into the Dark Lord's chamber uninvited." Wormtail said, sounding self-satisfied.

"How'd you get your job back as his lackey? Last I heard, you were cleaning Snape's house." Draco said cruelly.

Wormtail turned slightly purple.

"I've never been his lackey."

"Oh, so you prefer the moniker "Voldemort's bitch"  
Draco said sarcastically.

"I have full permission to kill you, you know"  
Wormtail said, his face reddening even more.

Draco pulled out his wand, shoving into Wormtail's stomach.

"Do it then." Draco hissed.

Wormtail said nothing, fearfully looking down at the wand pressed into his skin.

"Tell him I want to see him."

"F-Fine." Wormtail stuttered, opening the door and scurrying through it.

Draco pocketed his wand, mentally steeling himself.

He could do this.

He had to do this.

--

Lupin reached the hotel in Darkmoor, exhausted and out of breath.

The stag looked at him.

"Room 330." The Patronus said in a strange,  
incorporeal voice, vanishing on the spot.

Lupin walked in the revolving door, seeing a dusty,  
antiquated lobby. The whole place had a definite eerie quality, emphasized by the darkening clouds casting feeble light through the windows.

He dodged the questioning look from the bellhop,  
ducking into the nearest staircase.

"330...330..." He muttered, walking down the hallway.

It was covered in green ornate wallpaper, making it seem much smaller than it actually was. Lupin felt his heart hammering against his chest, nervous anticipation flooding through him.

He reached the room, hearing voices inside. Familiar voices- he thought it was Harry and Hermione. Why Harry, Ron, and Hermione would be staying in such a dark, dangerous place was beyond him.

He knocked twice. Maybe this was just a mistake, maybe the Patronus had given the wrong messaage.

The door opened, and Sirius was standing behind it.

Sirius tentatively smiled, looking a little nervous.

Lupin didn't think he'd ever seen Sirius nervous in his life.

"Well, look who finally decided to grace us with his presence." Lupin grinned.

Sirius laughed, pulling Lupin into a tight hug.

Lupin hugged him back, feeling a rush of excitement coursing through him that he hadn't felt in what seemed like so long.

They pulled back slightly out of the hug, and Sirius looked at Lupin with a strange expression on his face.  
Lupin suddenly felt very uncomfortable, his stomach twisting with the oddest sensation.

"Professor Lupin!" Hermione came in from the other room.

Sirius dropped his arms back to his sides at once,  
stepping away from Lupin.

Hermione looked between them, her smiled faltering when she noticed the tension.

Harry walked in behind her.

"Lupin! I'm so glad you're here." Harry wasn't quite sure how to greet him, so he shook his hand.

"We all are." Hermione said, still looking a little confused.

"I got here as fast as I could." Lupin said, his heart still beating unnaturally fast.

They all fell into silence for a moment.

"So...to beg the question, what are you doing here"  
Lupin looked at Sirius.

"We'll let you two catch up...me and Hermione are starving." Harry said, taking her by the arm.

"We'll be back soon." Hermione told them, closing the door behind her.

Lupin and Sirius sat down on the couch.

"I can't believe you're alive." Lupin looked at him.

"You lonely without me?" Sirius grinned, crossing one long leg over the other.

"I did miss you. Often." Lupin said quietly.

"Well, did any certain female keep you company"  
Sirius said, raising an eyebrow.

Lupin smiled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Sirius gave him a look.

"There was something going on between you and Tonks.  
Don't even play that game with me- I'm much better at deciphering the female mind than you. Come on, Moony,  
she wanted you BAD."

"We had a...relationship." Lupin said, shifting awkwardly.

He was horrible about talking about these kind of things, and Sirius knew that full well. Probably why he was pressing the issue.

"Oh, a relationship?"

"Padfoot, this isn't important. It ended."

Sirius looked surprised.

"No way."

"Yes. And the more important thing to discuss here is you . What happened to you? How are you here now?"

"I'm tired of thinking about it, and I'm tired of telling it. I was somewhere horrible, but I got out.  
And I'm here now. So can't we just talk, now, like old friends and pretend like nothing's changed?" Sirius said, closing his eyes and looking tired.

Lupin looked at him sadly.

"I'm so sorry all of this happened to you." Lupin said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Sirius looked at him.

"Thanks."

There was a long moment of silence.

"So, why aren't Harry and Hermione in school? Where's Ron?" Sirius said, snapping back from whatever wave of sadness had suddenly overcome him.

--

Snape and Narcissa sat in the small boat carrying them to Azkaban. It was a very dreary day, and a light rain was falling on them.

Severus had put a cloaking spell on the boat, so they were temporarily unable to be seen. It was impossible to Apparate in or out of Azkaban, so they had had to resort to other methods of travel.

Narcissa looked up at the rainy clouds, shivering slightly.

This was strange. Conversation had always come so easily to them, but now, on a mission to rescue her husband from jail, it seemed hopelessly out of reach.

"Lovely day." She finally said, laughing weakly.

Severus didn't reply, looking broodily into the water.

"What's bothering you?" She said, leaning forward slightly.

"How would you feel? Seeing him again?" Severus asked quietly.

"Lucius?"

"No, the Minister of Magic. Yes, Lucius." Snape said sarcastically.

"I...I don't know."

"Always the master of wit."

"Why are you being like this?" She demanded.

"I'm not "being" like anything. I was just asking a simple question, which you are now avoiding." Snape crossed his arms.

She rolled her eyes, looking away from him.

"Just tell me what you would feel."

"I told you, I don't know what I would feel. Are you asking if I missed him? Yes, of course I have. He's been my husband for seventeen years, and he's never given me a reason to not be as faithful to him as he is to me."

Snape gave a small laugh.

"What's funny about that?"

"Just the idea of him being faithful to you. Honestly,  
Narcissa, you're so naive."

Her face hardened.

"You shouldn't talk about things you don't understand." She said cooly.

"It's just so pathetic- you, passing yourself off as this chaste beacon of virtue, devoted to her husband while he's..."

"While he's what?"

Snape didn't reply.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him closer to her. The boat rocked on the slightly choppier waters.

"While he WHAT?"

Snape fiercely met her eyes. She had only seem him look this passionately incensed about something one other time in her life, and it was their first night together in the Room of Requirement.

"Do you love him?"

She swallowed hard.

"It's not that sim-"

"All these years, I never asked you. If you love him,  
this whole sick cycle between us can end right now. If you love him, I can finally let you go. Just tell me.  
Convince me."

He looked in her eyes as if searching for some truth she had been concealing, the dark blue matched by the rocky waters now making it hard for them to stay upright.

Sea spray tossed against the side of the boat, soaking them both but neither flinched.

He grabbed her forearms, shaking her slightly.

"Damn it, just-"

"How dare you ask me questions about love? You, the person who ran the other way the first time I told you how I felt! You, the person who's been running from it, from me for all these years! You're the one who-"

"I love you, Narcissa."

Four words, and suddenly it was that simple.

She felt as if all the breath had been knocked out of her body. She knew for a fact Snape had never said this to anyone, ever.

For one brief instant, he was vulnerable. Broken. She looked into his eyes and saw a man who had been fighting an inner battle for too long to sustain any strength against it.

A quiet stretched out in the stormy afternoon for what seemed like hours. Neither had moved, it hardly seeme either had breathed.

Their boat bumped against the shore, the closeness of the prison not noticed by either passenger.

They finally looked away from each other, taking in the sprawling , haunting landscape of Azkaban prison.

Whatever had just happened between them would have to wait until their job was done.

--

Harry and Hermione sat in the back booth of the mostly deserted hotel restaurant. It was dusty and covered with cobwebs, and the cook had eyed them in a way that made Harry a bit wary about taking his first bite.

Hermione sipped her pumpkin juice.

"I don't know if Lupin should just drop everything like this. I mean, he has an important job to do for the Order."

"Not your decision." Harry pointed out.

"I KNOW it's not, it's just that-"

She paused. The cook had approached the table, looking put out.

He was holding a small package.

"Delivery for you."

It was blank on the front.

"How do you know it's for me?" Harry asked, turning it over.

"There's no one else bloody here, is there? The owl was harrassing me in the kitchens...very sharp talons." The cook stalked off.

Hermione and Harry shared a questioning look as he cautiously opened it.

Harry peered inside, and with a look of pale-faced shock, he let the package flutter to the floor.

Hermione stood up as it looked like he was going to fall over and throw up right then and there.  
"Harry, what is it? What's wrong?"

He didn't reply. Hermione picked up the package,  
peering inside.

She gasped, withdrawing a long tangled mass of red hair knotted in a messy braid.

A note fell out as well, dropping to the table. Harry gagged into his hand, leaving the table at a run.

Hermione looked down at the note, white hot anger flaring within her.

-Little Harry's pretty girlfriend isn't so pretty anymore.

Hope to see you soon Bella

--

A/N- Please leave me a review! Next chapter- Lucius is once again a free man, we find out what's happened to Ginny, Tonks resurfaces briefly, Ron spills the beans subconsciously on how he feels about Hermione, Harry has anger management issues, Draco gets in WAY over his head, and Snape and Narcissa have lots of sexual tension. Oh, and so do a certain Moony and Padfoot.  
But hold on there- all is not as it appears. 


	17. These Days are Dark

A/N- Quick note to everyone begging me not to go slash- let me just say this. I'm not writing a slash fanfiction. As I said in the last chapter- not all is how it appears. Hope everyone had a wonderful January-  
this is a pretty dark chapter that sets up a lot of plots to come, so buckle your seatbelts.

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Seventeen These Days are Dark --

Ginny clutched her hands to her head, sobbing and rocking back and forth.

"Sweetheart, it's really not that bad." Bellatrix cooed, putting up the bloody knife.

"Please stop!" Ginny cried, sitting among clumps of her own hair.

"I think this made a substantial point. Let's go"  
Bellarix kicked her in the back, making her fall face-front on the floor.

Ginny held her hand up to her bleeding cheek, trying to swallow another sob.

Wanting to go with at least some dignity, Ginny got to her feet shakily.

Without another sound, she left the room and walked back down the hallway, Bellatrix behind her, laughing softly as she kept a vice-like grip on her shoulder.

--

Snape held out his hand to Narcissa as he stood upon Azkaban's rocky shores.

She looked up at him, still dumbfounded by his confession.

"Come. We need to hurry." He said, his voice nearly overtaken by the wind lapping the water up onto the shore.

"Severus-"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so rash. If you want to discuss anything, now is not the time." He said,  
not meeting her eyes.

She finally took his hand, stepping onto the sand, her black boots sinking in slightly.

"Since the dementors have left, the guardianship of Azkaban has been left to underqualified Ministry officials. This shouldn't be all that difficult. It's actually rather pathetic he hasn't broken out of his own accord." Snape said, leading the way toward the prison walls.

"So we'll ask to have an audience with him, and then break him out?'

"You forget I'm a fugitive, Narcissa. You tell the prison guard your husband is long overdue for a conjugal visit--get him alone in the one of the visiting rooms, which I believe are on the first floor. I'll be right outside, and we'll escape from there."

"Good idea." Narcissa said, her cheeks a little flushed.

"I'll be right outside." Snape said, his hand brushing her forearm in what could be called an affectionate gesture.

Narcissa watched him walk away, her arm tingling slightly. How she wanted to thank him for his confession.

Squaring her shoulders, she approached the gated entrance, confidently requesting a visitor's pass to the approaching guard as the gate slid up.

--

The lake behind the Burrow glistened in the moonlight,  
soft music from the wedding band drifting across the trees.

Hermione shivered slightly, wrapping her arms around herself as Ron leaned against a nearby tree.

"How are you going to do it?" Ron asked her, idly picking up a stone and skipping it across the lake.

"Do what?"

"Go a year without school. No homework. No tests.  
Isn't that like your worst nightmare?" He grinned.

She rolled her eyes.

"That's not all that matters to me, Ron."

He looked at her, the whites of his eyes unnaturally bright as darkness fell around them more densely.

"I know. I was just kidding."

She ran a hand through her once glossy and delicately arranged curls. They were now hopelessly disarrayed.

"I'm scared." She said quietly, not looking at him anymore.

"Of what?"

"Losing this war. Losing Harry."

There was a long pause, and then-

"Losing you."

Ron shifted his weight off the tree, looking vastly uncomfortable at her recent declaration.

But really- enough was enough. It was as if for one moment, Ron Weasley wasn't as terrified of Hermione as he usually was.

"You're not going to lose me." He finally said, his voice deeper, more mature.

Hermione sniffled softly, still not looking at him.

"You don't know that."

Some of Ron's nerve started to crumble at the sound of her about to cry.

"Please don't start crying- you know I'm rubbish at things like this..." He laughed, squeaking slightly.

Hermione turned to him at last, tears streaking her cheeks.

"Sorry."

"Hermione-"

She threw both arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely.

Her scent flooded his nostrils, her body crushed against his. Ron tried to stifle some very unplatonic thoughts.

Neither of them knew exactly how the kiss began. She had pulled out of the hug slightly, he had turned his head to look at her, and suddenly, their lips met.

Ron's hands tightened on her back, drawing him closer to her. Her lips parted under his, and suddenly the bridge of tentative flirtation between them burned to the ground.

His back was against the tree, the rough bark scratching her hands as they tangled in his hair. In that one embrace, everything between them was irrevocably changed.

After what seemed like one, long feverish moment, they broke apart. Ron staggered a few steps away, his hands on his knees as he bent over in shock. His heart was thudding so loudly in his ears that he thought he was going to pass out.

Hermione fell against the tree, looking up at the stars as she caught her breath.

"Bloody hell." Ron finally choked out.

"Yeah." She smiled, looking appealingly disheveled as she looked over at him.

"Hermione...I don't really know what to say."

"I don't really either."

"We're leaving soon."

"I know. And this can't be...distracting us from the ultimate goal. We have to help Harry, above everything. Above whatever this is."

"I know." Ron stood up again reluctantly, and Hermione couldn't help but watch his lanky form with a new appreciation. Now that she'd felt it underneath her hands...

She shook herself.

"Maybe this shouldn't have happened at all." Hermione ran a hand through her hair.

Ron looked at her, clearly angry.

"We're back to that? Really?"

"No...I mean, things are different, Ron, but we have to make sure we're ready and that the time is right before we..."

Ron turned away, disgusted.

"I can't believe this."

"What's wrong? I'm just trying to be reasonable."

"Of course. Of course you are."

"Ron, wait! We need to talk about this!"

Ron stalked back up to the house without another word.

--

"I'm so sorry...I'm sorry, Hermione." Ron mumbled sleepily, rolling over on the cold ground.

Suddenly, a cold, shaking hand on his woke him up.

He sat up with a start, and tried to suppress a horrified gasp at the sight of his sister.

Her shiny red hair had been shorn at haphazard angles,  
some parts left long, some parts cut right down to her bloody scalp. Her cheeks and forehead were slashed with deep scarring cuts, and her teeth were red with blood.

"Ron..." Ginny choked out, her voice raspy.

"Oh, Gin, come here, I got you...I'm right here." Ron pulled her against him, her warm blood soaking through the shoulder of his shirt.

--

Harry sat on the cold bathroom tile, miserably staring at his reflection.

He hated his scar. That scar was a fcking death sentence to everyone and anything he loved.

He felt his throat constrict again.

He had cried for a good hour when he had first come in here after receiving Bellatrix's "package." Hermione had sat outside the door (he had seen her shoes underneath the crack leading to the room) but hadn't dared to intrude.

He had heard Sirius and Lupin talking softly in the main room for some time, but neither of them had come in either.

And he was glad. Harry rarely, if ever, let himself cry, and now that he had, it had taken everything out of him. He felt too exhausted to even lift a hand,  
move a finger...he would just sit here until he starved...

On that unpleasant note, a horrible, hard sleep overtook him.

--

Lupin had dozed off on the sheets of notes he had taken on everything Harry had told them about the Horcruxes. He and Sirius had sat awake until the early hours of the morning, theorizing on the possible locations and objects that contained the final Horcruxes.

Lupin had been dreaming...a very strange dream, where in the beginning, he was his younger self, running through a dark forest. He was the wolf, but he thought with his mind. He needed something, very badly, and he wouldn't stop until he reached it.

Sirius, as a dog, was running alongside him, barking happily at the birds that scattered at their approach.

They stopped at a clearing, where a sword with rubies in the hilt was stuck in a stone.

Lupin wanted to tell Sirius to transform back to his human form, and pull the sword out. They needed it,  
and they needed it very badly.

But he couldn't make Sirius understand. Sirius'  
enormous paws left prints in the muddy ground as he approached the sword in the stone.

As Lupin got closer, he felt his feral instincts take notice of something. He smelled blood. The sword was soaked in blood.

Sirius sniffed the blood tentatively, and let out a low, mournful howl.

He began to paw at the sword uselessly, whining like a puppy.

"Get the sword!" Lupin thought with every fiber of his being.

But he couldn't make him understand.

Furious, Lupin raced towards him, biting his skin.

Sirius' whines delved into horrible growls, and his claws began to tear at Lupin's fur...

"Moony...wake up!"

Lupin opened his eyes, startled, Sirius' face inches from his own, looking concerned.

"You were having a nightmare." Sirius said quietly.

"It was awful...you wouldn't listen to me..." Lupin said drowsily, rubbing his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind. It was...it was just a dream."

They sat there in silence for a moment.

Sirius suddenly looked bemused at the large ink stain on Lupin's cheek. He had fallen asleep on their notes.

He wiped the ink off with his thumb.

Sirius didn't move his hand away, looking at Lupin with that same odd expression.

Lupin felt his heart speed up.

Sirius raised his hand, pushing Lupin's hair off his forehead.

"Don't." Lupin said suddenly, getting to his feet.

Sirius stared determinedly into the fire, his face burning red.

"I'm going to sleep. You can take the couch, and we'll switch tomorrow." Lupin said, walking into the opposite bedroom.and closing the door behind him.

--

Narcissa sat in the visiting room, waiting. She could practically feel Snape's presence right outside the window.

She tried to calm down. So many emotions were competing in her right now she couldn't hardly single one out.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing the tired,  
beaten form of her husband. His long blond hair hung ragged and limp, his once muscular form was thin and gaunt, and when he smiled at her, his face crinkled unpleasantly.

Without a word, he claimed her lips hungrily, his mouth dry and chapped. His breath mingled with hers,  
hot and unpleasant. His hand slid to her chest eagerly, but she stopped him.

"Lucius, darling, we've come to get you out."

Lucius drew back, looking confused.

"We?"

"Severus and I. The Dark Lord sent us to get you out of prison."

Lucius tried to let this sink in for a moment, but her soft skin and long-unexplored body were proving too distracting.

"The Dark Lord can wait." He murmured in her ear.

She stepped away from him.

"Lucius, you shouldn't say such things. We must leave now."

"How do you plan on us getting out of here?" He said,  
looking defeated.

Suddenly, the wall behind them blasted into bits.  
Severus stood there, looking put out.

"Rather simply." He said with a disdainful look at Lucius.

They heard shouts from outside, and footsteps pounding down the hall.

"Come on!" Narcissa grabbed her husband's hand, and they followed after Snape to the boat as quickly as they could.

The guardianship of what was once the greatest wizard prison in history really was a disgrace.

--

Draco stepped confidently down the dark antechamber,  
feigning arrogance that had oddly deserted him at a most inopportune time.

He saw Lord Voldemort's white hands and hooded face,  
shrouded in a dark robe.

"Master." Draco bowed low before him.

"You dare to enter without an invitation, young Draco?" Voldemort looked up, his red eyes glinting.

"Yes. I'm tired of you under utilizing me. I could be doing so much more than what you allow." Draco said the words quickly, trying not to shake.

Shockingly, Voldemort laughed- a horrible laugh that sounded like ribs cracking.

"Do you think so?"

"I do."

"You wish for more responsibility?" Voldemort said,  
still sounding incredulous but a little impressed.

"I do."

"Fine. You want a bigger task, I have one for you.  
Your need to get ahead impresses me, Draco."

"I'll do anything." Draco bowed once more.

"Of course you will. But Draco?"

"Yes, Master?"

"One more act of insubordination, and I peel the flesh from your bones. I know the spell to do it. I invented it. And it's a slow process." Voldemort said, his voice still eerily congenial.

"Yes, Master."

"I have quite an interesting task for you...at the sight where you failed me last..."

--

Later that night, Snape, Narcissa, and Lucius entered Voldemort's chamber when beckoned.

They all bowed low before him, Lucius conscious of a pulsating hatred coming from the Dark Lord.

"You have let me down most exquisitely, Lucius. Once my most cunning and loyal follower...it's very tragic."

"I will do anything to make up for my mistakes."

"You forget, Lucius. I do not forgive. And your position was usurped many timesover by the man standing beside you."

Snape fought the urge to smile triumphantly.

"What do you ask of me, My Lord?" Lucius said with much effort.

Groveling had always been rather difficult for him.

Voldemort looked between the three of them, his face contorting in a horrible imitation of a smile.

"All I ask of you is to observe your wife. I shall be asking her some questions."

"That is why we broke him out of prison, My Lord"  
Snape said skeptically.

"No, Severus. You broke him out of prison for a much simpler reason. So that I can watch while you kill him in front of his wife."

Narcissa and Lucius shared a terrfied, confused look.

"But, all good things to those who wait. Leave us for a moment, Severus. I believe this questions are of a very personal nature. Family business, you know. Take care of your other project, and return at midnight."

Severus bowed, and left the room.

"Rise, Narcissa. And bind your husband to that chair so he can watch your inquisition." Voldemort said,  
folding his hands in his lap.

--

Snape looked down at the shaking form of Nymphadora Tonks with disgust.

"No new information?"

She said nothing, burying her head in her hands.

"I asked you a question." He grabbed her roughly by the chin, nearly picking her up off the ground as she scrambled to her feet.

"There's nothing new. Not yet." She choked out, his grip pressing against his throat.

He looked at her searchingly.

"You're not lying. Good. I had hoped you'd decide that that would be a most inadvisable plan of action."

"Why are you doing this?" She said miserably.

"Because I want to destroy him, from the inside out"  
Snape said simply.

"Don't make me do this." She sobbed.

"Stop embarrassing yourself. You leave tonight."

--

A/N- I know, I know. Not exactly a sunshine and roses chapter. But when the going get tough, the tough get going. Don't give up on our heroes just yet. Next chapter- Harry, Hermione, Lupin, and Sirius actually DO something and set out for the next probable Horcrux, Draco revisits his old stomping grounds and rallies the old gang back into action, Narcissa has a very revealing twenty questions session with a very nosy Voldemort, Snape gets mad at Tonks some more, and I promise, something good will happen to someone.  
Please review! 


	18. Old Rivals and Romances

A/N- I appreciate your reviews so much guys! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Happy Valentines Day! Just felt like using a lot of alliteration in the title...

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Eighteen Old Rivals and Romanances --

The next morning in the hotel room, Lupin sleepily stumbled out of his room to see Sirius, Harry, and Hermione eating room service breakfast and laughing.

He had barely slept all night, unable to stop his brain from working overtime. He knew he was just lonely, and just confused in how to express his feelings about his friend's return. But something in him last night...He didn't have those feelings for Sirius. He knew that. Sure, people had joked about them in the past, and he did love Sirius differently than he'd ever loved a friend. It was deeper, and more meaningful than just a mere friendship. But that didn't mean it was...something else entirely.

So a very confused and tired Lupin joined the happy threesome around the kitchen table.

"Morning." Hermione said, looking over the notes Lupin had taken about the Horcruxes and adding things here and there.

"So, then I said...I don't know, Snivellus, they don't teach sex ed at Hogwarts!" Sirius said, chuckling.

Harry choked on his orange juice, laughing. Ever since Sirius had come back, he'd begged him for unflattering stories of Snape. It seemed to quell his anger a bit to hear that the most hated man in Harry's life had once been an awkward, unpopular teenager.

"What are you talking about?" Lupin sat down next to Harry.

"Just the good old days." Sirius said, not looking at Lupin.

"That's great, Sirius. I hope we find him again just to see his face if you're out and alive." Harry said,  
wiping orange juice from his chin.

"I know, it'd be brilliant." Sirius took a rather animalistic bite of sausage.

"I think the next logical step is Hogwarts." Hermione said suddenly.

All three men looked at her with blank expressions.

"Something of Gryffindors. The sword of Gryffindor.  
It's obvious."

"Maybe too obvious." Lupin pointed out.

"It's just the kind of bold move Voldemort would make.  
Mocking the life of Godric Gryffindor by forcing those who oppose him to destroy their namesake's greatest weapon." Hermione countered.

Sirius shrugged.

"I think it's possible."

"Going back to Hogwarts might not be the best idea right now." Harry said skeptically.

"Harry, I'll do it. Professor McGonagall and I were really close while I was there...I think she saw me as some sort of protege or something. She'll know I wouldn't ask this if it wasn't necessary. And if it leads us to the next Horcrux, she'll be all for it"  
Hermione said, swirling her cereal around in the bowl.

"Okay. But I'm not letting you go by yourself. Not after what happened."

Harry didn't need to say Ron or Ginny's names for them to get his point.

"Then come with me, Harry. Think of how that would help everyone feel better if they see Harry Potter,  
hard at work at defeating Voldemort." She shrugged.

"Okay. Okay, I guess that could work."

"And Sirius-- do you remember at all how to get back to the castle where you were being held?"

Sirius nodded.

"Vaguely. But I remember some things, yes."

"Then you and Lupin should try to find it again. If you're successful, contact me and Harry through Patronuses, and we'll all meet up again. That way,  
we're killing two birds with one stone." Hermione said, getting the happy flush in her cheeks from a plan well thought out.

Lupin nodded.

"That will work fine. You two finish breakfast, make sure you're ready and that you know what you're going to tell Minerva."

"And make sure you bring warm clothes." Sirius said,  
motioning to the uncommonly bleak summer's day.

"You two sound like my mum and dad." Hermione grinned.

Harry and Sirius laughed; Lupin didn't look so amused.

--

Draco stood outside Hogwarts, brushing dirt off the shoulders of his expensive leather jacket.

He'd had a rather ungraceful fall after apparating right outside of Hogwarts. Thank God no one had been here to witness it.

He really was rather good at working alone, he thought with a sly smile.

Still amazed Voldemort had not struck him down on the spot, Draco basked in the glow of what could easily be coined a promotion.

Go and recruit covertly. That's what Voldemort had told him to do. Gather all the faithful left at Hogwarts, but without alerting the staff or skittish students that he was ever there.

Sure. No problem.

Draco swallowed hard, tensing and releasing his hands.  
Working alone was definitely an advantage...because then no one could see the slight sheen of sweat on his pale skin.

--

Ginny lay on her back, her head still swimming slightly from the pain of her little "girl's day" with Bellatrix.

If karma had any say in the world, that woman was really, really asking for it.

"Are you awake?" Ron's warm hand was suddenly on her forehead, easing the thudding feeling in her skull for a moment.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I could run a marathon." Ginny grinned weakly.

"Gin, it's not funny-"

"I'll be all right, Ron. You're not getting rid of me that easily." She said, putting her hand over his.

She sat up slightly.

"Where'd you get this ring?"

Ron looked down at his right hand, seeing a gold ring on his index finger. He'd completely forgotten about it, what with all the getting kidnapped and knocked out.

"Oh...I don't know. I found it in Malfoy Manor...I just really wanted to take it."

"Never seen you as a big jewelry guy." Ginny said,  
looking at the amazing white gold-inlaid filigree lining the ring.

"I don't know why I took it..." Ron's brow furrowed with thought, trying to remember.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him like a punch in the chest.

"The Horcrux spell!"

Ginny looked confused.

"Hermione did a spell to help us locate the Horcruxes.  
She must have found the diary in the Manor, and done the spell..."

"So the ring is a Horcrux!" Ginny finished for him in an excited whisper.

She clasped his hand, smiling widely.

"If we can destroy it...that's one down!" She said softly.

Ron carefully slipped it off his finger, zipping it into his jacket pocket.

"Just so Draco doesn't see it and figure out anything."

Ginny nodded.

"Where is Draco anyway? He hasn't haunted our doorstep much lately." Ginny turned around, her sore neck protesting the movement.

"Probably sulking somewhere...drawing sad faces on the castle window..." Ron joked.

"Singing ballads about how misunderstood he is." Ginny giggled.

Ron pulled Ginny against his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're okay."

"I look awful, don't I?"

"No. Don't even think that."

"I love you, Ronnie."

"Don't call me Ronnie."

--

By midday at Hogwarts, word had spread that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were talking to Headmistress McGonagall in her office. They had been in there for hours.

Anxious students had created all kinds of wild scenarious- Harry and Hermione were getting married and were coming to get her blessing being one of the strangest tossed around.

But nothing of that nature was actually occurring in the office of Minerva McGonagall.

"...which led us to believe that the sword of Gryffindor could very well be a Horcrux." Hermione finished.

"My only problem with the theory is it seems a little..."

"Too easy?" Harry supplied the answer.

"Well, yes, Mr. Potter, that would be one way of putting it."

"But Harry said Dumbledore told him that Voldemort would want something from each of the Founders. Thus,  
Slytherin's ring. Hufflepuff's cup. And now, Gryffindor's sword."

"What about Ravenclaw?" McGonagall pointed out.

"We don't know about that yet. We're hoping the sword might lead us there. If I do the "Revelio Fracturis"  
spell."

McGonagall considered this for a moment.

"So this is what you have been doing, instead of returning for your final year?"

As Hermione launched into an explanation, Harry shifted in his seat. He hated being in this office again...secretly hated seeing McGonagall behind a desk that was rightfully Dumbledore's. Harry hadn't thought about his Headmaster dying in some time...no more than fleeting thoughts...he'd been so preoccupied with this Horcrux business. But stepping through the doors of Hogwarts again had brought it all rushing back.

"But where is Mr. Weasley?" McGonagall asked, catching Harry's attention.

"Can I...Can I get some air?" Harry said quickly before Hermione could reply.

Hermione looked at him, tears welling in her eyes, as if desperately hoping he would tell the story of how they'd lost Ron. But he just couldn't. Not here. Not in this office, where he'd already endured so much pain.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. Everyone's in classes, but still, I would steer clear of the main corridors unless you would like to be mobbed." Headmistress McGonagall said, looking startled.

Harry didn't need another word. He left quickly,  
walking down the slowly revolving staircase.

The hallways were deserted, sunlight streaming in through the stained glass. Harry let his mind just drift for a moment. Part of him wanted to go to the Gryffindor common room, but the rest of him knew that would be a bad idea. Too many memories of Ron and Ginny would flood through him there, and he really couldn't handle thinking of either of them right now.

He just wanted his mind to be quiet for a moment. Just not think of anything...not miss anyone, not blame anyone, not plan anything...

Harry leaned against the window ledge, suddenly wishing he had Hedwig there, instead of back in the hotel room. In all these introspective moments in his school days, Hedwig had almost always been sitting at his shoulder, hooting peacefully.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Harry sighed. The last thing he needed was for some starstruck second year to ambush him. He ducked into a nearby corner, plastering himself against the wall.

He peered curiously around the corner, and froze with shock.

It was Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, walking down the hall, casting anxious glances around them.

"So you'll tell Crabbe and Goyle, and anyone else who's interested where to meet me tonight?" Draco was saying.

"Yes, of course." Pansy nodded, her dark eyes darting nervously down the hall.

"You know this is a big deal? If you mess this up, I'm finished. I'm dead."

"Yes, Draco, I know that." She rolled her eyes.

Draco grabbed her forearms.

"The Dark Lord will kill me himself if I get this wrong."

"Don't touch me." Pansy jerked away.

"What is the matter with you?" Draco spat angrily.

"Well...it's just, you leave school without even telling me. You didn't even write me to tell me you were all right. And then you just come back and expect me to do whatever you tell me?" Pansy said, crossing her arms.

"You always do whatever I tell you." Draco pointed out.

"Remember?" He said, raising an eyebrow as if referencing some incident she should remember.

She looked at him for a long moment.

"You never appreciate me." She whined.

"You organize this, and you get everyone there tonight...and I'll make sure you feel...appreciated"  
Draco said with a sly smile.

Harry looked away, disgusted.

"Fine. I'll do it." Pansy finally said.

"That's my girl." Draco went to kiss her, but she stepped away.

"I'll see you tonight." She said, walking away.

--

Draco watched her go, rolling his eyes once she stepped around the corner.

He started to walk off in the opposite direction,  
towards Harry.

Harry couldn't stop himself. He stepped out in front of him.

Draco's face paled for a moment, then he affixed a careful look of indifference.

"Potter...what's the Boy Who Dropped Out doing in these hallowed halls?"

"Reliving the good old days." Harry said tersely.

"Me too. The whole Dark Lord campaign got a little exhausting...I needed a break. Remember my innocent youth." Draco shrugged, grinning sardonically.

"I can imagine the stress." Harry said.

They were both watching each other's wand hands carefully, waiting for the other to react.

"I just wanted to see how dear old McGonagall's holding up after Dumbledore's unfortunate departure"  
Draco said.

Harry drew out his wand at once.

"Don't you dare say his name."

"Go ahead, Harry. Hex me. Curse me. Shit, you could kill me right now. But if you do that...you'll never find them."

Harry's grip weakened slightly on his wand

"You know where they are?" He said, forcing his voice not to shake.

"Of course I do. I put them there. Ron, from my house.  
You should know better by now than to let Weasel just wander around without Granger's leash. And Ginny wasn't too hard to find either- took her right from her own bedroom."

Harry felt blood rushing to his brain, pounding through him and making Draco's voice seem oddly far away.

"Yeah, not hard at all. There's no way she would've kept her own boyfriend out of her room."

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Little thing called Polyjuice Potion. I believe you're familiar with it? Wasn't too hard to make, once we had some of your blood from your hasty escape from the Manor. Snape whipped me up his extra-special version, and it was ready in days. Ginny had no idea.  
Hell, her top was off before she started to even get suspicous."

"Shut up." Harry growled, refusing to even picture someone else touching Ginny in the position Draco was describing.

"You two haven't ever done it, have you?" Draco said patronizingly.

"Shut UP."

"Let me tell you, Potter, she's no amateur-"

"Just shut the fck up, Malfoy!" Harry yelled, shoving him against the wall., his wand nearly puncturing the skin of his neck.

"Whoa, Potter, simmer down..." Draco tried to laugh,  
but Harry could tell he was scared.

"I'm going to ask you this once. Where are they?"

Draco just smirked.

Harry had never wanted to smash someone's face in more than he did at that very moment.

Forget his wand. He didn't even need it.

But just as Harry was about to react, they both froze.  
They both heard footsteps.

"Harry- what's going on?"

He heard Hermione's voice accompanying her quick footsteps.

Draco took his momentary distraction as an opportunity, shoving him to the ground and running off in the opposite direction as fast as he could. Harry tried to scramble to his feet in pursuit, but Draco shouted "Petrificus Totalis!" over his shoulder, and Harry hit the ground, stiff as a board.

Hermione rounded the corner moments later, but Draco was long gone. She raced to Harry's side, taking off the spell and helping Harry to his feet.

"D-Draco..." Harry choked out, trying to fight off her grasp on his arms so he could go after Draco.

"What about him?"

"He knows where Ron is..." that got her attention,  
"Ginny too. He told Pansy to organize everyone she could to meet tonight. He'll probably lead them right to the castle."

"Meet where?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know! But maybe we can still catch him-"

"Harry, forget Malfoy. We'll never find them, and even if we did, Sirius and Lupin are finding the castle where they're keeping Ron and Ginny."

"I would've thought you, of all people, would understand that we have to find them now!" Harry burst out furiously.

Hermione put a steadying hand on his arm.

"Harry, I miss them too. Sometimes so bad I dont think I can stand it. But we have to destroy the Horcruxes.  
And I know where the next one is."

--

"Then you're making progress." Snape said to Tonk's head, situated in his fireplace.

"Yes." Tonks said quietly.

"Good. Check back in tomorrow."

"That might be difficult-"

"Check back in, at the time I requested, or he dies.  
I'll do it, Nymphadora. You know this."

"Yes. I do."

"Then don't disappoint me again."

"I won't." Tonks said weakly, her head disappearing from the stone fireplace.

Snape sat back in the plush red armchair of his bedroom, feeling the fire's warm glow on his face.  
This castle was miserably cold, and this was coming from a man who had lived in a dungeon for most of his life.

He sat staring at the flames for some time, wondering what Voldemort could possibly be asking Narcissa.

He had to admit he'd seen the Dark Lord's eyes looking at them somewhat suspiciously whenever they'd been together. He shuddered to think of the Dark Lord himself knowing of their affair.

He didn't really care anymore if Lucius knew.  
Especially if Lucius was to be killed.

The only person Severus never, ever wanted to find out was Draco. He knew it would destroy him. Draco's whole identity was wrapped up in his father, and if that was taken away, he'd have nothing.

Snape put a hand over his eyes, feeling slightly ill.

After awhile, the warmth from the fire and the darkness of the room caused him to drift off to a fitful sleep.

He only awoke, what seemed like hours later, when the door to his room opened with a creak.

Snape jumped to his feet, his hand instantly at his wand.

He stopped. It was Narcissa.

She stood there in the black dress she'd worn earlier to the prison, her hair pulled severely off her face.  
Her blue eyes were glassy and red, and her cheeks were streaked with tears.

Narcissa closed the door behind her without speaking.

Snape looked at her, his wand dropping to his side.

"What happe-"

"He's dead." Narcissa said, her voice entirely devoid of emotion.

"Did he know-"

"Yes. He knew everything. I told him everything." She said in that same strange voice.

A long silence fell between them.

Snape put his wand down, unsure whether to cross to her or not. What was she even doing here?

She reached up to her hair, pulling it out of the bun.  
It fell in long, loose waves around her shoulders.

Snape felt a shudder of arousal shoot through him.

Her eyes never left Snape's, but they never changed emotion at all. It was unnerving...and he wasn't easily unnerved.

Her hand slid back to the lock on the door, clicking it into place.

Snape opened his mouth to ask what the hell she was doing, but she cut him off.

"Just don't say anything. I don't want to think right now."

Snape complied, his mouth hesitantly closing.

"Let's just...not think.. Not talk. I can't."

She crossed to him, sliding the straps of her dress off her shoulders. The slinky material pooled around her ankles on the floor.

"Narcissa..." Snape tried not to look at her.

She turned his head towards her, clamping her other hand over his mouth.

"I said, don't talk."

She took her hand away, kissing him softly. They had barely touched in seventeen years, but as her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hands slid into her hair, it was clear nothing had changed.

As she undid his robes and he pulled her back onto his bed, it wasn't with the fumbling hands of two confused teenagers.

They came together that night, as two people who knew exactly what they were doing but had no idea why.  
Neither spoke, because there was simply nothing to say. Nothing about the way they felt for each other could ever be explained by a word as simple as love or passion or need.

In that moment, they couldn't exist without each other any longer. And in that moment, that was all they needed to know.

--

A/N- Let the debate ensue over whether that was something good happening to someone. Let's just say every decision has consequences. I hope everyone's Valentines is much, MUCH less dysfunctional than Snape and Narcissa's. Next chapter- oh, the awkward morning after. Dealing with decisions really puts a damper in that grand love thing. W find out what happend in Narcissa's inquest. Hermione and Harry set after the next Horcrux. Sirius and Lupin try to deal with awkward living conditions on the road. Draco brings his cronies back to assist him in his I-Wanna-Be-A-Jedi-Like-My-Father routine- only to discover his father is dead. Uh-oh... 


	19. Bad Moon Rising

A/N- Hello everyone! My play just finished, so I have a lot more free time now- and this is my spring break,  
so expect updates a little faster for a bit! Hope ya'll enjoy this chapter- reviews are always appreciated!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Nineteen Bad Moon Rising --

Harry felt the coldness of the window against his forehead on the train he and Hermione were riding. He held the sword of Gryffindor safely at his side.

Hermione had been wrong about the sword- it wasn't a Horcrux. The spell hadn't worked. But McGonagall had told them that she knew of a direct descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw living in northern England, who would be their best chance of discovering if any major Ravenclaw heirlooms had ever been taken for such nefarious purposes. Harry and Hermione were almost positive if the Gryffindor sword wasn't a Horcrux,  
something of Ravenclaw's must be. And after that, they had to see if it led them to Nagini or somewhere else entirely.

But even though the sword wasn't a Horcrux, McGonagall had given it to them "for protection," she had said sternly.

Harry closed his eyes wearily, hating the fact that Draco's little "meeting" was probably going on right now and he had no way of stopping them. He tried not to remember the note from Bellatrix. He just had to pray Ron and Ginny were still alive, and hope that Sirius and Lupin got there in time.

If it was even the right place. Harry sighed, feeling a pounding headache coming on. This task was becoming more and more complicated and overwhelming by the second.

Suddenly, Harry realized he didn't hear Hermione's slow breathing. He opened his eyes, looking over at her. She had her hand over her eyes, and Harry could see tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Hermione..." He said softly.

She looked up, her eyes glistening.

"Harry--oh, Harry, I thought you were asleep. I didn't wake you up, did I?" She said apologetically.

"Don't be ridiculous, Hermione. Tell me what's wrong."

"Oh, this isn't anything out of the ordinary." She laughed sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"I do this every night. Becoming my pathetic little tradition." She wiped her cheeks, blushing.

"Crying?"

"Yes."

Harry didn't say anything.

Hermione sniffled, opening her mouth to say something,  
but then stopping.

"What?"

She looked away, seemingly unable to look at Harry while appearing so weak.

"I miss him, Harry. I can't stand this. You were right- we should have tried to stop Draco. I'm tried to be logical, I tried to be practical, but I just can't! Not...not anymore."

"Hermione, yes, you can. You have to"  
"I've always been able to figure things out, I've always tried so hard to be strong- but I realized the only reason I could help you over and over again is because Ron was right there with me. I don't know how to do this without him. I don't know if I can." 

"Don't say that. We're getting Ron back. I promise-"

"Oh, well, that makes me feel all better." Hermione rolled her eyes.

Harry looked away.

"I'm sorry, Harry- it's just...it's always been the three of us, through everything. This just isn't right."

"I know."

"I love him." She said quietly.

"I know." Harry said again.

It was a strange reaction to her candid declaration.  
But he really had known for sometime how she felt, and it was no big surprise.

Flushed, Hermione looked away. Harry didn't fill the awkward silence.

"Go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you." Hermione said, pulling her jacket over her and lying on her back.

Both their eyes were closed, but neither found sleep for hours.

--

Narcissa woke up late the next afternoon. A bleak sort of sunlight came in through the windows, warm on her face.

She didn't really think for a long while, just noticed things. The feeling of his arm across her stomach. The musty smell of the burnt ahes in the fireplace. Her black silk dress on the floor. She refused to put all these things together into any kind of memory merely because she had been fighting down a hot flush of shame ever since her eyes had opened.

He was still sleeping.

And he woke up alone.

--

Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle stood before Lord Voldemort, all feigning confidence.

"This is all at Hogwarts who remain faithful to me?"

"All that I could gather covertly." Draco said, hoping his voice didn't sound as high as he heard it in his head.

"This is truly pathetic." Voldemort sighed.

"My sincerest apologies." Draco said.

Pansy winced at the edge of sarcasm in his voice. He was going to get them killed.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, or at least the skin moved on his pale face where an eyebrow should have been.

"Well, no matter. I have a very special task in mins that the four of you shall personally supervise."

"Of course, Master." Pansy said, hoping to make up for Draco's impertinence.

Voldemort looked at her.

"Who are you?" He asked coldly.

"Pansy Parkinson." She said shakily.

"Do I know your parents?"

"They died when I was young. Killed by Aurors, on one of your missions."

"Ah, yes. So many followers...they all blur together after awhile. Your parents made a noble sacrifice"  
Voldemort smiled, his horrible teeth revealed briefly.

"Yes, I agree." She said, not meeting his eyes.

"Very well. Now for the task at hand-I believe you four are better suited than anyone for this particular job..."

--

As Draco and his littlel gang left quietly discussing their new assignment, they ran right into Narcissa Malfoy.

She looked exhausted and distracted, and when she saw Draco, her face paled.

"Mother--there you are. The Dark Lord told me to ask you where Father is." Draco said, concerned at her appearance.

Narcissa's lips went into a very fine line, her blue eyes slightly glassy.

"Pansy, Gregory, and Vincent- it's good to see you all here." She said softly.

They all nodded, looking confused.

"Where's Father?" Draco repeated.

"Could you give us a moment?" Narcissa said to his three friends.

They obliged.

"Everything's okay?" Draco said, more of a statement than a question.

"No, darling. It's not." Narcissa said, wiping away an errant tear.

"Tell me what happened." Draco said, feeeling his stomach twist nervously.

Narcissa put her hand to her eyes, taking a deep breath, and trying to speak. Her voice faltered, and came out more as a sob.

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"

"Lucius is dead, Draco. The Dark Lord killed him"  
Narcissa said quickly, as if every word was a struggle.

Draco sputtered for a moment, falling against the wall and sinking to the floor. His dark gray eyes looked at the opposite wall, not seeing a thing. He felt a loud roar building in his ears, until he began to shake with the pain of fighting down the scream in his throat.

Narcissa reached out for him, crying hysterically.

Draco slapped her hand away furiously.

"Don't...don't touch me." He was trembling all over.

"There was nothing I could have done, Draco,  
please...please, believe me."

Seconds of silence stretched like an eternity between them.

Draco put his hands over his face, gagging and swallowing, having trouble breathing. Narcissa put a hand on his shoulder tentatively.

He looked at her for a long, cold moment...his eyes had a terrifying emptiness to them. They looked dead.

"I don't believe anything anymore." He finally said,  
pushing her to the floor and walking off.

--

Ron woke up in the middle of the night after having a horrible nightmare. The stench of blood still flooded his nostrils as he rolled over to tell Ginny. Comfort from his little sister. How pathetic.

But she wasn't there.

He was completely alone.

For one wild moment, Ron thought she had escaped and he felt strangely relieved. But then he realized she wouldn't leave without taking him with her.

Suddenly, he saw Pansy Parkinson sitting outside,  
flipping through Teen Witch Weekly. It was such a non sequitur of images that he didn't know how to react.  
His first insane thought was "How on earth did she find a magazine like that in this place?"

She looked up, noticing him.

"Hey, Weasel." She blew a bubble.

"Where's my sister?"

"In a safe place."

"Don't give me that shit."

Pansy grinned.

"Fiesty. She's being taken care of, don't even worry about it."

"Where is she?"

"I told you, in a safe place. Once thought to be the safest place in the wizarding world." She said with a slow smile.

"Hogwarts? But w-why would she be in-"

"No idea. They're just following orders." Pansy said innocently.

"Who is?"

Pansy just flipped a page of her magazine, laughing.

She ignored the rest of Ron's questions.

--

Sirius and Lupin walked through the densely wooded forest in a slightly tense silence.

They had just realized that the full moon was tonight.

"I'm so stupid- I always remember when it's coming.  
It's just everything's been so busy lately and-"

"It's okay, Moony, I'll just tie you a tree or something." Sirius laughed.

"Anything you would tie me up with I could rip apart in seconds. You know that."

"Just making suggestions." Sirius shrugged.

"Well, you're going to have to do better than that"  
Lupin said irritably, snapping a twig from a tree they were passing.

"What's with you today?" Sirius looked at him,  
annoyed.

"Nothing's 'with' me, I'm just really mad at myself for not realizing this was coming."

"Everbody makes mistakes." Sirius shrugged.

"How can you be flippant about this?"

"I'm flippant about everything."

"This isn't a joke!"

"I know that! What is your problem?"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TO GET HURT!" Lupin shouted.

The only sound for a moment was the forest around them, teeming with life and unintelligble sounds.

Sirius looked oddly touched, the lines around his eyes crinkling as he smiled, his hand on a nearby tree.

"I'll be fine, Moony. We'll figure out something."

Lupin didn't say anything, walking ahead of him.

--

Snape walked down the hall of the castle, his muscles aching and his mind very confused.

Narcissa appeared at the other end of the hallway,  
walking with her head down.

She didn't notice him and he didn't say anything until they were feet from each other.

"Narcissa."

Her head snapped up, her blue eyes almost frightened at the sight of him.

Quickly, she affixed a look of indifference on her face.

"Severus. Hello." She pushed past him.

"Well, well. How fickle is woman." Severus said to her turned back.

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Don't do this." She said in a surprisingly harsh voice.

"Those were not your sentiments the last time we met"  
Snape said, crossing his arms.

She turned around at last, her eyes flashing.

Narcissa grabbed his arm fiercely, throwing open the first open door she could find and leading him inside.  
It was a rather small closet for goblets and kitchen utensils, and they were in uncomfortably close quarters.

"We are not talking about last night. Ever. It was a mistake, and it...meant...NOTHING. I'm sorry if you believed otherwise." She said in a dangerous whisper.

Snape didn't say anything for a long moment.

"You're lying."

"I'm NOT!" She said petulantly, her eyes welling with tears for the second time that day.

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm being honest!"

"Then tell me what last night was to you."

"SEX! That's all! Let's face it, that's all it's ever been between us."

"That's not tru-"

"Don't try to make it something else, don't try to convince me otherwise. I needed to forget what had happened, and I ended up in your room. That's it."

"That's not it!" He yelled.

She looked at the door, as if afraid of someone hearing him.

"Damn it, Narcissa, we're here again?" He said furiously.

"You and I were never anywhere. We were never anything." She said, her teeth gritted.

"Don't say that." He said furiously, blocking her as she tried to go to the door.

"I'm leaving." She said, ramming up against his chest as he blocked her again.

"No." He glared at her.

"You are so pathetic! I'm telling you that I used you!  
Is that not getting through? I. USED. YOU. I needed a good fck and I knew where to find it."

Snape faltered slightly. He'd never heard her talk like this.

"What's happened to you?"

"My husband was tortured and murdered in front of me.  
My whole life that I've built up just ended because of you. You're the one who caused all of this. And you're not worth the price of what I've lost."

She shoved him into the shelf, glass goblets falling to the ground and shattering between them.

Stepping through the glass, she left without another word.

-  
Night was falling and stilll Remus and Sirius had not thought of anything. The best they had come up with was to put a tracking spell on Remus and for Sirius to climb up into a tree.

It wasn't exactly foolproof, but it was the best they had the moment.

"You doing all right so far?" Sirius said sleepily from his vantage point up in the tree.

"Yes." Lupin said, sitting against a rock in a small clearing.

"Be careful, mate." Sirius said, stifling an enormous yawn.

They had been walking for two days straight, and fatigue was beginning to set in with a vengeance.

Sirius drifted off to sleep minutes later as twilight fell around them. Lupin looked meditatively up at the clouds still hiding the moon. Any second now, they'd part, and the transformation would begin.

Suddenly, Lupin heard a low growl. And it wasn't coming from him. He jumped to his feet, turning around so fast he nearly stumbled.

"Remus...what a pleasant surprise."

Lupin looked into the hideously disfigured face of Fenrir Greyback, mid-transformation. His words came out in a barely intelligble growl.

Lupin didn't say anything, his heart beginning to speed up.

"In league with Harry Potter? Should have seen that coming, I suppose. No one ever really changes"  
Greyback let out a bone-rattling laugh, "Well, I suppose we DO change."

Lupin felt his bones start to ache with the metamorphosis. He didn't dare call out for Sirius- it was better that Greyback had no idea his friend was here. He just prayed Sirius wouldn't wake and attempt anything heroic.

"You feel it, don't you? The animal taking over...it's amazing..." Greyback said, throwing back his head and howling.

Lupin tried to hold onto his human mind, but felt it slipping away like water in his hands.

"You're clever, Lupin.. But are strong?"

Lupin let out a low moan of pain as he fell onto all fours.

"Only one way to know for sure." Greyback said,  
stalking around the clearing.

Lupin felt his skin stretching until he was sure it would break. He could barely focus on Greyback's next words.

"Rise, you pathetic excuse for our kind. Rise, and fight me."

--

A/N- All right, ladies and gents, place your bets-  
Greyback vs. Lupin? Well, you'll soon find out. Also,  
what on earth is Voldemort planning with Draco and Co.? What's Ginny have to do with any of it? What is Rowena Ravenclaw rolling over in her grave about misplacing? And where's Narcissa's Midol for crying out loud? Answers to all this (well, maybe not the last one) and more in Chapter 20! We're entering the home stretch everyone- and it's going to be a fight to the death for some. 


	20. How Do You SolveaProblemliketheFounders?

A/N- Sorry for the wait- college is crazy. Either you know what I'm talking about, or you'll know someday,  
or you're lucky you aren't in it at all. Oh well-  
those are my problems. On with the show!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Twenty How Do You Solve a Problem Like the Founders?  
--

Ginny woke up, her head lolling to one side. She gasped, closing her eyes, her stomach dropping.

She was suspended on a high pillar in a cavernous room. Her wrists were bound behind her with what felt like rope, but slimier. Her feet scrabbled uselessly against the slippery pillar, the floor so far below her it looked dark in the dimness. The walls were ancient stone, and a tapestry depicting four people hung across from her.

She was freezing cold, and had absolutely no idea how she had gotten here, or even where here was.

She called out "Help!" and her voice echoed pathetically in the chamber. She had never felt so small.

Ginny didn't know what she could possibly do- if she'd manage to free her hands, she'd plummet to her death.  
She couldn't look down again- it made her gag.

So she looked at the tapestry. Four people. A tall,  
dark, and sinister man with a twisting smirk...a handsome man with light brown hair and a smile that looked like a laugh...a girl with waist-length raven hair and dark blue eyes smiling somewhat solemnly...Another woman with blond ringlets with a merry smile stretching across her plump cheeks...

"The Founders." Ginny said softly.

She realized with a sickening feeling she was in Hogwarts.

But where? And why had no one found her?

--

"Draco...she's secure." Crabbe said, nervously entering his friend's bedroom.

Draco had not left his room for three days straight.  
He just sat at the window, motionless.

Narcissa had tried to talk to him, and Pansy after her, and they had remained in the room for three days as well. He'd barely blinked whenever they tried to engage him in conversation, just clenching the curtain in his fist.

"Did you hear us?" Goyle asked, tentatively stepping closer.

Draco gave an imperceptible nod that seemed to say "yes" and "get out" simulataneously.

"Draco, you need to eat." Pansy said quietly.

"You don't know anything about what I need." Draco muttered, staring out the window obstinately.

Pansy looked at Narcissa helplessly. But Narcissa looked even worse than Draco, her eyes red-rimmed and empty of all emotion.

"The Dark Lord has ordered you to return to guard Weasel's cell." Crabbe grunted to Pansy.

She sighed dramatically, casting one last helpless look back at Draco, and left.

Crabbe and Goyle hurried out of the room, the oppressive atmosphere suffocating them.

--

"This is the place." Harry helped Hermione through the thick brambles surrounding an imposing, beautiful estate in northern England.

The air was still and cool, the smell of an approaching storm in the air. The sound of birds was oddly absent. This place seemed as though it had not been touched by anything but the winds of time in ages. Hermione couldn't fathom how anyone could possibly live somewhere this isolated.

They approached the front door at last, and Harry used the giant knocker to send two resounding bangs echoing through the house.

It seemed like a good five minutes before someone answered the door. It was a woman, a thin, frail woman obviously on in years. Her long black hair was tinged with gray, and her grayish eyes looked as though they had once been beautiful but were now dimmed with age.

"What do you want?" She said in a rasping voice that made both Harry and Hermione's throats hurt.

"Are you a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw?" Hermione asked her, reminding Harry of a news reporter.

"I am. Why do you ask? I'm not selling any of her things." The woman said quickly.

"Oh, no, we're not buyers."

"We just wanted to know if we could ask you a few questions." Harry said, nonchalantly pushing his bangs off his forehead.

She saw the scar.

"You're Harry Potter." She said, aghast.

"Yes. I am. And it is a life-and-death matter that we talk to you." Harry said.

"The One who will save us all." She said, seemingly unable to stop herself from reaching out to feel the scar for herself.

"I'm trying to do just that, ma'am. This is my best friend, Hermione Granger. She's helping me."

"Such a pretty girl. My name is Emily Weston." The woman said, shaking both their hands with her withered, veiny grasp.

"May we please come in?" Hermione said.

"Of course. I'll put a pot of tea on. Wait for me in the drawing room."

She closed the door behind them, pushing them both into a shockingly ornate room with paintings and shelves of books adorning every wall. There was a loveseat and two armchairs around a fireplace.

Hermione and Harry sat down across from each other in the armchairs. A few moments passed as they took in the room.

"Do you think that's her?" Hermione pointed behind his head at a wall-length portrait of a woman with black hair and blue eyes.

She was wearing Ravenclaw colors, and had her hands folded over a book.

"Probably."

"Yes, that's Rowena Ravenclaw," the woman entered suddenly, "That painting has been in my family for hundreds of years."

She sat down across from them with a pot of tea and three cups on a tray.

"So what do you want to know?"

"In your family line, has there ever been anything misplaced? We are trying to find out things that Voldemort-"

The woman shuddered at the name. Harry continued.

"-has used to protect his immortality. We think he used objects from the founders."

Emily Weston closed her eyes as if recalling some unpleasant memory.

"It was such a tragedy."

"What was, ma'am?"

"Her most treasured possession."

Harry and Hermione didn't say anything, waiting breathlessly for her to continue.

"Her own wedding ring."

"Was misplaced?"

"Stolen, more like! Right from my very house! A young man...such a handsome young man...came to visit me one day, many years ago...I invited him in, and the next thing I knew-"

"You woke up and the ring was gone." Harry said softly.

Voldemort had gone straight to the source for this particular treasure.

"Yes! Everyone knew it was in my possession, because Rowena Ravenclaw's marriage is a beloved wizarding tale. She had never been interested in anything but books until him..." The old women's face stretched into a fond smile.

"And you have no idea of where it's gone?"

"None at all. What Rowena would think if she knew it was in the hands of that monster...she wouldn't stand for it...I sometimes wonder if she will stand for it..." The old woman said in a strange, distant voice.

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione said, raising her eyebrows.

"After their deaths, the bodies of the Founders were placed deep within Hogwarts. I sometimes wonder if they've ever really left the place. In spirit, I mean."

Harry shot Hermione a quick, skeptical look.

"Within Hogwarts?"

"Yes. The only living person that was rumored to know of the location was Albus Dumbledore. Well...I suppose, he's not living anymore." The woman said, in that same strange voice.

Harry and Hermione suddenly felt the eerie stillness of the house wash over them.

"Thank you so much for your help." Hermione said,  
standing up.

"Yes, thank you." Harry followed suit.

"Aren't you two going to finish your tea?"

Every painting in the room turned to look at Harry and Hermione.

"We really have to get back to work." Hermione said,  
her hand on Harry's arm.

This place was seriously giving her the creeps. The woman was clutching the handle of the tea cup so tight her blue veins were bulging from her hand.

"But I so rarely have visitors..."

"We really should go."

They turned towards the door, and it magically slammed shut in their faces.

"Have a seat. I really do insist." She said in a chillingly polite voice.

--

Pansy walked back to the cell, wondering what could possibly be done about Draco.

He was being so impossible.

She pushed open the door and stopped dead in her tracks.

The glass cell was empty.

Ron Weasley's footprints in the dust led to the middle of the room she was now standing in and then disappeared.

--

Lupin had lost all sense of time or place. He had fully become the beast, and roared with rage as he rose to his hindlegs.

The moon made the blood beat wildly through his veins,  
and his hatred towards Greyback had not dissipated with the transformation.

They were now two animals hellbent on killing the other, and knew nothing else.

Greyback pounced on Lupin, his thick, old claws tearing into Lupin's fur. Lupin howled with pain,  
swiping at Greyback's face.

Their fight continued for what seemed like forever,  
bones cracking, blood spurting, their cries of fury and pain echoing through the forest.

Lupin faintly heard with his preternatural sense someone yelling something- a human voice. But none he recognized, and he couldn't turn away from the fight for a moment.

After one particularly painful blow, Lupin pushed off from the tree, panting wildly and feeling weakness coursing through him.

He used every last ounce of strength he had to leap under Greyback, who was jumping towards him. Lupin slashed his claws into Greyback's underbelly, and felt them go deep. Greyback let out a cry of agony, falling to the ground.

Lupin withdrew his claws with a sickening slickness,  
shaking, feeling as if the adrenaline and pain were going to kill him.

Greyback made a feeble attempt to get back to his feet, but he was done. He was dying. Lupin watched in disgust as Greyback took his last shuddering breaths.  
He was slowly turning back into a man, a deformed,  
bloody mass of flesh and bones. He looked so weak in his final moments, one last breath passing through his once-powerful body.

He lay there lifeless as Lupin felt his body reverting to its weakened human state. It was as if it wasn't strong enough to remain a beast. He wondered faintly,  
as his human mind feebly took control, if he was dying. He wondered if anyone would find his body.

"LUPIN!" He finally identified the voice. Sirius.

Lupin fell back against the tree, quickly losing consciousness. His breaths became more and more labored.

"No, no, Remus, you can't die. You're stronger than this...please, you have to fight..." Sirius was kneeling beside him

"W-Why didn't you help me?" Remus said, his words choked and barely intelligible.

"I couldn't. I couldn't help you." He faintly heard Sirius' reply.

Remus didn't say anything else, feeling Sirius trying to apply pressure to his most gaping wound across his chest. He felt as if every rib on his left side was broken. Breathing was so painful he could hardly bear to even try anymore.

"I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..." Siriuskept saying it over and over, his wand on Remus' wounds, trying to heal them. But they were too deep and severe for someone who wasn't a Healer to handle.

"Why?" Remus managed to choke out.

"You can't die. I can't let you die." Sirius was crying like a child.

"Help...Harry."

"Don't do this! Don't say goodbye! I'm not letting you go!" Sirius put his hands on Lupin's face.

"Sirius...you're my best friend..." Remus said, his eyelids growing heavy and his breathing coming in slower and slower intervals.

"Remus, it's me. Can't you see it's me?" Sirius said desperately, his face streaked with tears.

"Of course...it's you..."

Remus eyes closed. He could feel Sirius' breath on his face.

"I won't let you die. I love you too much."

Suddenly, Remus felt a mouth press insistenly against his. His eyes cracked open, his heart faintly registering surprise.

But it wasn't Sirius that had kissed him.

It was Tonks.

--

Harry and Hermione turned to face each other, pale with surprise.

"What are you doing?" Hermione turned to face the old woman, who was drinking calmly from her tea cup.

"I can't allow you to leave."

"Why not?" Harry said, remaining remarkably calm.

"Because of my ancestry. Perhaps you have never heard the true story of Rowena Ravenclaw?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She would want Harry Potter dead. So, in her memory,  
so do I."

Before she could continue speaking, Hermione suddenly whipped out her wand, stunning her. The old woman fell to the floor with a cry. Harry and Hermione tore out the nearest door that wasn't magically sealed, and raced down a hallway. They heard alarmingly fast steps behind them.

They came to a split in the hallway.

"GO!" Harry grabbed her arm, and they tore off down the left.

They skidded around a corner, running into someone hard.

Harry and Hermione scrambled to their feet to see their attacker.

"Where's the fire?" Ron Weasley said, looking at them with a bemused grin.

--

A/N- WHAT? Ron got out? Sirius is Tonks? Lupin's dying? Draco's pouting? (Okay, so the last one wasn't that big of a surprise.) Just felt like writing a particularly shocking chapter, haha. Next chapter- the pieces start falling into place. Five more chapters to go kiddies... 


	21. The First and Final Four

A/N- Thanks for the reviews guys! The countdown begins...

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Twenty-One The First and Final Four

--

"Where's the fire?"

Neither Harry nor Hermione could formulate a reply.

Ron looked between them, flustered and happy to see them.

"Y-You're alive." Hermione stammered, struck dumb for once in her life.

Before Ron could say anything, Miss Weston came tearing around the corner.

She almost looked comical- wild gray hair, eyes gleaming with malice, old lungs struggling for breath.

"I want to talk to him. Alone." She said, pointing her thin finger at Harry.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione.

"You two get out of here." He said, lowering his voice.

"No way." Ron shook his head.

Hermione looked between them.

"Harry, we can't just leave you here."

"Guys, I can handle Voldemort- I can handle her"  
Harry pointed out.

"But what if-"

"Take Ron back to the hotel. All I want right now is to know you two are safe." Harry said, his voice implying that there would be no more discussion of this.

Hermione looked torn between staying with Harry and keeping Ron safe now that she finally had him back.

Harry looked right at her, sensing the fact that she was wavering.

"Go." He said.

And with a small nod, Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and they disapparated.

Harry turned to face Miss Weston.

"All right. I'm listening." He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Marvelous." She said, with a yellow-toothed smile.

--

"Draco."

Draco stared out the window.

"You're acting like a child."

"Fck off." Draco muttered.

Severus raised his eyebrows.

"Pardon me?"

Draco repeated the sentiment.

Narcissa looked up at Snape.

"It's useless, Severus." She said quietly.

Snape ignored her.

"Draco, the Dark Lord would like to speak with you."

Draco looked over at him at last.

"About what?"

"Because of your sulking and apparently Miss Parkinson's ineptitude, Mr. Weasley has escaped."

Draco's eyes widened.

"No way."

"Yes. The Dark Lord is not very pleased."

"How'd he get out?"

"No one is sure."

"Wow. Who would've thought- Weasel pulls a fast one on us."

"Indeed. Will you come with me?"

Draco shook his head, his gray eyes dark.

"You want me to go accept orders from the man who just murdered my father?"

Narcissa looked at Severus again, and he met her eyes for the briefest instant.

"Things are never quite that simple, Draco." She said quietly.

"What's complicated about it?  
He...killed...my...father. The end."

"There are things you don't understand."

"What things?" Draco looked between them, confused.

"Just go, Draco. This isn't the time." Snape put his hand on his shoulder, pushing him towards the doorway.

--

Lupin recoiled in shock from her kiss, feeling as though she was drifting farther and farther away from him with each breath.

"W-What..." He muttered weakly, feeling as though his heart was beating with much effort.

"I'll take care of you. You're not going to die.  
Help's coming." She choked out, her bloodied hand pushing the hair off his forehead.

His blood.

He felt so tired. Sirius really was gone. It had all been a lie. Tonks was all right. So many thoughts were rushing through his already weary brain that he wanted to just close his eyes and never wake up.

"No one's coming, are they?" He whispered, his head against the tree.

He didn't even hear her respond. He didn't hear anything.

So this is what it felt like to die.

He'd been waiting for it far too long.

--

"What are you asking?"

"You and Snape will guard something very precious to me. I trust him. And I'm giving you a chance to prove yourself at last."

"Guarding something? Haven't I shown you that's not really my forte?" Draco smirked.

"Nevertheless, I think you most suited to this job.  
There's many things I still think you need to discover about yourself, Draco. And Severus is the best one to show you these things. You'll see."

"That's it? Just go hang out with my professor for a few days?"

"Yes. That is all I ask of you."

"Fine." Draco turned to leave.

"Aren't you angry with me, Mr. Malfoy?" Voldemort said his name in a strangely mocking tone.

Draco clenched his hands into fists, but didn't turn around.

"Not at all...Master."

Voldemort smiled.

"Very well."

--

Hermione and Ron appeared in the hotel room, hitting the floor hard.

"Nice landing." Ron grinned, getting to his feet and extending his hand to her.

"Shut up, like you could do side-apparition-" Hermione smiled back, taking his hand.

He pulled her to her feet, and before Hermione could speak, he kissed her.

Hermione leaned into him, as his arms encircled her,  
drawing them as close as possible.

It was a long moment before the kiss ended, and when it did, they stepped apart and just looked at each other, grinning like a pair of idiots.

"S-Sorry. Just thrilled to be alive." Ron shrugged,  
his cheeks and ears bright red.

"You shouldn't be sorry for that." Hermione said,  
flushed.

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, like they had just gone on their first date.

"So...you finally think it's time for us?" Ron asked.

Hermione laughed.

"I think it's been time for us for awhile."

"For once...I completely and totally agree with you."

--

Narcissa walked into Snape's room as he was packing.

He looked up at her, but didn't say anything. After a moment, he continued packing.

"So you're leaving with Draco?" She said, leaning against the door.

"Yes." He said shortly.

"He won't tell me what you're doing."

"Neither will I."

"Severus-"

"You made it perfectly clear that we are mere acquaintences the last time we spoke. I'm respecting that agreement." He said testily, closing his trunk.

"Look...the way I acted was completely out of line.  
I'm sorry- I was confused, I had just lost my husband,  
I was angry at a lot of things...but not at you. That was wrong of me to take it out on you, and I didn't mean what I said about...about you and me."

"You don't have to do this, Narcissa."

She sighed, crossing to him.

"Yes, I do. I'm sorry, Severus. Please know that." She was standing close to him, her hands on his chest.

He shook her off.

"Apology accepted. Tell Draco I'm ready."

"Don't leave like this." She said quietly.

"Stop it." He said, so quietly she could barely hear him.

"What?"

"You know what."

"Talk to me, Severus!" She grabbed his arm.

"STOP IT!"

She stepped away, shocked. He hardly ever raised his voice.

Furious, he got right in her face.

"Stop fcking around with me! I'm so tired of you always keeping me waiting, always keeping me holding on to something I can NEVER have! You have been a plague on my life since I was a teenager, and I can't take this anymore! You were right. This...us...it's done. We were never anything, and we'll never be anything. Draco's the one good thing to ever come out of this sick, twisted little story. I'm finished with you...with this."

Narcissa opened her mouth to speak.

"Don't." He shook his head, shoving past her.

-  
Harry looked at the withered old woman.

"To fully appreciate this story...I have to show you."

"Fine." Harry shrugged.

He wasn't afraid of her. She didn't look powerful enough to levitate a napkin, much less kill him.

Muttering under her breath, she grabbed his hand.

Harry felt like a great rush of wind had passed through him, his skin nearly blowing off his bones.  
Just as soon as this rather unpleasant sensation hit him, it was over.

He was in the past.

Much like in the Pensieve, he seemed to exist completely separate from everyone around him.

It was a dinner party. Four people sat around the table in a room Harry had never seen before. The high ceilings and walls bore no windows, and the only decoration were vast stone pillars in the four corners of the room and a tapestry bearing the likenesses of those seated at the small stone table.

A handsome, friendly-looking man sat at the head of the table. He had sandy brown hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"To Hogwarts!" He said, raising his glass.

"Hogwarts!" The three other echoed.

There were two other women and one other man- a round-cheeked witch with curly blond hair, a witch with striking features and jet black hair wrapped in black layers, and a man Harry would not have crossed-  
his dark eyes were not reached by the forced smile on his face.

"The Founders." Harry said to himself.

"Very good." He heard Emma's mocking voice from somewhere far away.

"Helga, this meal was just lovely." The man who had to be Godric Gryffindor said, finishing his wine.

"Thank you." She giggled, doing a little mock bow.

"The first feast at our school." The dark-haired woman, who Harry was figuring for Rowena Ravenclaw,  
said in a throaty, disarmingly strong voice.

"Slytherin, you've hardly said two words the whole night. What's troubling you, old friend?" Godric asked the man at the other end of the table.

"Just overcome with excitement." Salazer said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Godric rolled his eyes.

"Get this man some spirits- he's ruining our little party!" He said, shaking his head.

"Salazer, this is a happy occasion! Smile!" Helga poured him more wine.

Salazer knocked over the glass with his hand, standing up.

"I can't stand this wretched place already. Please, do excuse me." He said, stalking off.

Godric, Helga, and Rowena shared a look.

"I'll talk to him." Rowena said, tossing her long hair over one shoulder.

"He never listens to any of us."

"It's useless." Helga chimed in.

Rowena walked after him, and Harry followed.

"Salazer. Stop." She finally caught up to him after several flights of stairs.

They were now in the Entry Hall of Hogwarts- it was unnerving to see it completely new and bare. Moonlight streamed in through the windows, eerie shafts of light providing the only illumination.

Salazer turned to look at her.

"Those two will only run this place into the ground.  
Their ideals of goodness and equality will bring all manner of wizarding rejects and mudbloods into this school. It should be for the best-- not the vermin they're thinking of recruiting."

"You know I agree. But you're behaving like a child."

"I cannot stay silent and let them ruin everything I've worked for!" Salazer shouted.

"If we stay silent, we can still sort out the best for our houses. The most intelligent, the most cunning will be under our control. That's all that really matters. And if the time should ever come that we need to overthrow the other houses- we'll be perfectly capable with our students behind us. But we must stay silent. Until the time is right."

Salazer looked at her for a long moment.

"I don't know if I can do that."

"I'll help you." She said, her hand on his face.

Harry blinked with surprise. Were they...?

No. Surely not. Someone would have known.

Salazer took her other hand.

"You're not wearing it."

"You know I can't. Mutiny has to be a surprise, or it's not effective. If they were to know of our marriage-"

Harry nearly choked.

"They would suspect you coming over to my way of thinking."

"Exactly."

"Fine. It will be our little secret."

"Although that might prove more difficult in the coming months." She said, her hand instinctively going to her well-hidden stomach.

He looked at her, speechless for a moment.

"You're...you're going to have a child?"

"Our child." She said smiling.

"How long have you known?"

"Just a few weeks. I'll do everything I can to hide it, and find some reason to leave when the time comes."

"I don't want this."

"You don't want this baby?" Her eyes narrowed,  
obviously hurt.

"No, it's not that- I just don't want to have to sneak away to see my own child."

"It's the only way."

"For now."

"You can't kill them. Y ou and I both know they are far too powerful."

"He's NOT powerful! He's WEAK! Tainted by goodness,  
naive to the very thought of evil. There's none in him, so he refuses to think of it as a threat. And she's a simpering idiot. I could kill them without expending any effort at all."

"That's not the answer."

"Then tell me what is!"

She looked at her hands, shaking her head.

"I don't know."

She raised her hand to his face again, this time wearing a gold wedding band.

"Just trust me. We wait."

"I do trust you. But I won't wait forever to make this place this place realize its potential."

"I know. I'll help you."

He kissed her then, and their figures began to blur.  
Harry was suddenly back with Emma Weston.

"And thus...a son was born five months later. Nicholas Gaunt. They changed his name to avoid questions, but he was the true descendant of the greatest pureblood line. And the line continued..."

"Until Voldemort." Harry said.

"Yes, my dear. So you see- my ancestors wanted you dead. I must continue on the family tradition."

"You couldn't kill me."

"You don't think so?"

"You'd probably break a hip." Harry shrugged.

She got to her feet, advancing toward him.

"Her wedding ring is a Horcrux, isn't it?"

He could tell by her face that he was right.

"How do you know about Horcruxes?"

"I've got smart friends."

"Where's the ring?" She said, grabbing his collar.

"No clue."

"WHERE IS IT?"

Harry shoved her off, ripping out his wand and pointing it at her.

"You know about the Horcruxes don't you?"

She said nothing, slowly drawing her wand. He easily hit it away, kicking it to the corner.

"Dumbledore destroyed the ring. The Slytherin locket was destroyed by Regulus Black. Tom Riddle's diary was destroyed by yours truly. That leaves three more horcruxes. Tell me what they are."

She cowered on the ground.

"TELL ME!" He said, the wand tip at her neck.

"THE RING! You're right about the ring. And-and the cup of Hufflepuff. And I don't know the third!"

"Don't you dare lie to me!" He said, pushing harder.

"I don't KNOW!" She cried, looking so pathetic that he relented.

"Fine. Where's Hufflepuff's cup?"

"Legend says deep within Hogwarts. Possibly in the room from the memory."

"Where's that room?"

"Underground. I know no one who knows the way to access it."

"I can think of someone who might. Thank you, Miss Weston." Harry got to his feet, walking out the front door into the darkening summer night.

--

A/N- I smell a showdown at dear old Hogwarts coming up...and what is that last Horcrux? Harry better figure it out quick, and he has a happily reunited Ron and Hermione to help him out next chapter. Plus- has Lupin gone up to the deluxe apartment in the sky? What will Narcissa do without Snape to emotionally torture?  
And who does Harry know who knows the way into Hogwarts most sacred chamber? All to come, dear readers... 


	22. All Roads Lead to Hogwarts

A/N- Hello all! Hope everyone had a wonderful summer-  
here's chapter twenty deux!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Twenty-Two All Roads Lead to Hogwarts --

Tonks woke up, her forehead pressed against a window.  
The dull thud of a headache combined with the heat emanating from the glass made her feel sick to her stomach.

She dizzily got to her feet, cursing herself for falling asleep when she should have been watching him.

Lupin lay in bed, so heavily bandaged he was almost unrecognizable. The slight, labored rising and falling of his chest was his only sign of life.

It had been three days since that night in the woods.  
She had apparated them to her apartment, and used the slight Healing skills she had acquired in Auror training to stabilize him and stop the bleeding.

His wounds were healing better than she could have expected, but she still wished she could take him to a proper Healer. But she couldn't let anyone know where or what they were doing. Snape would hear. He would kill them both.

And she was also wanted for the murder of Kingsley Shacklebolt. If she was arrested, Lupin would have no one to protect him.

So she could tell no one. She was forced to just stay there and wait and pray that he'd say something, that he'd open his eyes just once.

Tonks made a pot of strong coffee, and sat at her kitchen table. It was so quiet. Horribly quiet.

Tonks loved being around people, being around laughter and noise. When she wasn't, it made her feel drained and listless.

All she felt like doing was closing her eyes again.  
She hadn't slept properly in days.But she knew she couldn't.

She just had to wait.

--

Harry hurried into the hotel room, his hair wet from the sprinkling of rain coming down outside. His apparition back had been a little helter-skelter due to his excitement, and he'd ended up outside in the encroaching showers.

Ron and Hermione weren't there.

"Guys?" Harry called out, looking in the two bedrooms.  
Nothing.

His heart started thudding unpleasantly. No no no no no...not them too.

He heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and familiar laughter.

It was them. He felt his breath catch in his throat with relief. Harry heard Ron's voice telling some unintelligible story, and Hermione laughing.

The hotel door banged open, and they stumbled in,  
holding hands, both soaked with rain and smiling.

"Harry! You're okay! How'd it go?" Hermione gasped,  
racing over to hug him.

"I-I'm fine. You two scared me to death."

"Sorry, mate. Just felt like a walk in the rain, you know." Ron said, grinning as he patted Harry on the shoulder.

"Er...okay. Well, that crazy old woman told me some very interesting news. First of all, the next Horcrux is-"

"A ring."

"Which I happen to have." Ron held up his hand,  
revealing a gold ring on his pinkie.

Harry looked at him, stunned.

"When I got taken from Malfoy Manor, right after Hermione had done the Locating spell, I had found this ring. Something told me to pick it up and take it. It was her spell leading me to the Horcrux, the bloody little genius." Ron said, taking off the ring and putting in Harry's hand.

Hermione smiled at him, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Right. That's terrific. Well-done, you two," Harry said, looking at his friends with a surging of pride.

"So should we..." Ron motioned to the fire.

"Destroy it? Yes, let's." Harry said, lighting a fire with his wand.

"Wait! We need to use it locate the next Horcrux"  
Hermione stepped between Harry and the fire, looking exasperated.

"Oh. Right." Ron said, going to extinguish the fire with his wand.

"I know where the next one is."

"You do?"

"Or I know someone who will. Miss Weston said the next Horcrux is the cup of Hufflepuff. And that it's buried deep within Hogwarts."

"That's pretty vague, Harry."

"No, think about guys. Who knows Hogwarts better than anyone?"

"Filch?" Ron suggested, still looking confused.

"McGonagall?" Hermione said.

"Dumbledore." Harry said, as if it was obvious.

"Harry...Dumbledore's..."

"Dead. Thank you, I know. But his portrait is still in that office. I could talk to the portrait of Regulus Black like he was still alive. Those portraits can still watch, listen, and talk. We have to go to Hogwarts and ask him where it is."

"So we'll go. But maybe we should keep the ring just in case."

"No. We still should destroy it." Harry shook his head.

"Why?"

"I've got the feeling that wherever this cup is--well,  
then there's just one more Horcrux and then Voldemort himself to take care of. He might be staying close to it. Every Horcrux we destroy makes him weaker. So I say we make him as weak as possible...just in case he's there waiting for us."

The gravity of this statement seemed to take all the wind out of Ron and Hermione's unusually cheery sails.

"You're right. Destroy it." Hermione said, stepping away from the fire.

"Score one for the sidekicks." Ron grinned weakly as Harry threw it into the fire.

They all three watched it melt in silence.

--

"Where the hell are we?" Draco looked around at the dripping stone walls illuminated only by the candelabras hanging every fourty feet or so.

"I thought you were never, ever, ever going to talk to me again." Snape said, knocking away a cobweb.

"Well...I...just answer the question."

Snape smiled, only slightly.

"We need to access the deepest regions of Hogwarts.  
This would be easier if we could enter from inside the school, but our current status with the student and faculty is not too stellar, as you know. Luckily for us, Hogwarts comprises a wide tunnel system, leading all over the grounds. So we entered from the outer regions of the forest and are now making our way towards the proverbial "heart" of the school- The Inceptum Chamber- the place where the Founders had their first meal, etc. etc... fill in whatever other school lore you'd like. I've never seen this particular chamber myself, but I've always wanted to see if it lived up to its...hype, as it were."

Draco nodded, moodily walking along.

"Does that answer your question, Mr. Malfoy?'

He grunted a reply.

"Good. Then let us continue."

--

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were escorted by Professor McGonagall up to her office.

"I must say, I was surprised to hear from you three.  
Thought you'd outgrown formal education." She said,  
with a slight smirk.

"Oh, Professor, you know I'd never leave unless it was absolutely necessary." Hermione said dutifully.

They stepped onto the revolving staircase, thankful that the students were still in their classes.

"So I assume that things are going well?" McGonagall asked, smoothing down the front of her black robes as she sat down at her desk.

"Yes...well, I mean, to an extent. Lupin and Sirius were helping us, but we haven't heard from them in days. Ginny Weasley was kidnapped, along with Ron, but he barely escaped. We still have no idea where she might be."

"Did you say Sirius? As in, Sirius Black?"

"Yes. He isn't dead...it's a long story."

McGonagall blinked, surprised.

"Oh. Well, do fill me in on the details when this is all over."

"Of course, Professor."

"As to the matter of Miss Weasley...I have just received some information on her whereabouts."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up sharply.

"What did you hear?" Harry said, feeling his heart thudding unnaturally hard against his chest.

"Ron, your mother wrote me only yesterday to tell me of something most unusual. She had stopped paying attention to your ingenious litttle "Weasley" clock that tells the location of all the family members when all the hands switched to Mortal Peril. But the other day, she happened to glance upon it. Ginny's hand was no longer with everyone else's- it pointed to "Hogwarts."

"She's back at school?" Ron sputtered, confused.

"No. Not in an official capacity. No one's seen or heard from her. But I trust your parents' magical aptitude- if the clock says she's here, she must be here."

"Where then?" Harry demanded, frustrated.

"Mr. Potter, asI told you, no one knows. But it does narrow the search down considerably."

"I bet you anything she's with that cup. And that Voldemort's got people there on guard, waiting for us." Hermione said, her voice betraying nerves.

"We need to talk to Dumbledore."

"Did I hear my name?" A sleepy-eyed Albus Dumbledore stirred from his ornate chair in his portrait.

Harry looked over at the picture, feeling his throat grow tight.

"Professor." He said, smiling as he walked over to the picture.

Dumbledore was wearing outrageous green and purple robes with silver stars sewn expertly, and his half-moon glasses rested in their usual position at the end of his crooked nose.

"Harry...it's good to see you again. And do I see Miss Granger and Mister Weasley back there as well?" He asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Yes, we're all here." Harry said, feeling relief wash over him like water. Dumbledore would know what to do.  
He always would, just as he always had.

"On the quest for the Horcruxes, are we?" Dumbledore asked eagerly.

"Yes. And we've found and destroyed all but the last two. Harry talked to Emma Weston, a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, and she said the penultimate Horcrux is the cup of Hufflepuff, and that it's found deep within Hogwarts. But that's all the information she would give us- she said she didn't know what the last Horcrux would be either." Hermione said, her words going together in an excited rush.

Dumbledore considered this for a moment.

"First of all, I'm very proud of your progress.Secondly, I do believe I know the room of which you speak. As for the last Horcrux...that is unknown to all but Tom Riddle himself. I spoke of my suspicion that it was his snake, Nagini, but even I can be wrong at times."

"I discovered a variation on a Locating Spell that can lead us to the next Horcrux- so if we find the cup, I think we can find the last of them." Hermione pointed out.

Dumbledore looked at her, his eyebrows raised.

"That's ingenious, Miss Granger. Really. Your cleverness seems to grow exponentially."

Hermione blushed.

"Thank you, sir."

"This locating spell- I'm assuming it's a twist on the Revelio spell?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes."

"And it tells you the location of the next Horcrux?"

"Yeah- like "Malfoy Manor." Ron supplied.

"This is just a thought, but perhaps you could make it reveal the next Horcrux, instead of merely it's location. It's my belief that he may be stockpiling and safeguarding- and where better to do it then the only place he felt at home? If the location of the final Horcrux is in Hogwarts, just the location will not help you much. Simply say Res Revelio- instead of merely Revelio. Now, I've never tried this- but to the best of my knowledge, it might possibly work"  
Dumbledore said, with a slight smile.

"Thank you- we'll try that, sir."

"Of course. Now as to that location- Miss Granger?  
Could you borrow a quill and paper from Headmistress McGonagall?"

Hermione scurried to do so.

"Ready when you are, sir." She said, quill poised.

"Good, now listen closely...this is going to get rather complicated..."

--

Tonks pulled a terrycloth robe around her as she got out of the shower. She had left the bathroom door open so she could hear if he said anything.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth, feeling as if the silence was so deafening she'd soon just give up and start talking to herself.

She left the bathroom, and padded on bare feet to the front door to padlock it. As she slid the lock into place, she heard it- so soft and weak it barely reached her ears...

"Don't...don't leave me."

--

A/N- Thanks for reading- next chapter, Lupin's awake and none too happy, The Hufflepuff cup is found, Ron and Hermione find out that making out in dark corridors IS pretty hot, Draco learns the awful truth,  
and Harry has a run-in with the last two people he ever thought he'd see as Voldemort forces him to make a terrible choice. The final showdown begins... 


	23. Undiscovered Country

A/N- Hello again everyone! It's so strange to be this close to the end- I've been working on this fanfic for over a year. Craziness. Thanks to all of those who've stuck with it all the way, and to those who've discovered it in process. The quote and title is from Shakespere's "Hamlet." I really appreciate your feedback. Enjoy!

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Twenty-Three Undiscovered Country --

But that the dread of something after death,  
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn No traveller returns, puzzles the will And makes us rather bear those ills we have Than fly to others that we know not of?  
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;  
And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,  
And enterprises of great pith and moment With this regard their currents turn awry,  
And lose the name of action. - Soft you now!  
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remember'd.

--

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked through the miserably cold corridor, their wands dimly lighting the path ahead of them. Harry was leading the way, as Hermione read out directions from the meticulously drawn map she had constructed from Dumbledore's instructions.

"At this next fork, we're to take a left and we'll come to a large staircase. If we go down and to the right, we should in the antechamber before the Cup"  
She read, wrinkling her nose as she pushed through a rather large cobweb.

"It feels like we've been walking for ages." Ron said,  
looking at the cobweb with trepidation.

"We're nearly there, Ron." Hermione said, not looking away from the map.

"We've been 'nearly there' for some time now." Ron said, casting her an irritated look.

She raised her eyebrows.

"You want to try directing us then? Be my guest." She said sarcastically, holding the map out to him.

"You don't think I could?" Ron challenged.

"You really want me to answer that?" Hermione shot back.

"Guys..." Harry held up a hand to quiet them down.

He thought he had heard someone talking.

Hermione and Ron looked away from each other.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione whispered.

"We're not the only ones here." He said softly.

The all three stood silent for a moment, and Harry could tell the other voices were coming from a corridor down and to the right. With a rush of recognition, all three of them realized to whom the voices belonged. Draco and Snape.

"Put out your wands." Harry hissed.

"What?" Hermione and Ron both said at the same time.

"Your wands. Put them out."

They complied, and utter darkness fell around the trio.

Harry turned to face them- or where he thought they were, he could barely see vague outlines of his friends.

"You two take the left-hand corridor, and get the cup.  
Find out what the last Horcrux is.Destroy it. I've got to take care of this."

"We're not splitting up!" Ron shook his head furiously.

"Yes, we are. I'm not letting him get away again. I need you two to take care of this."

"What are you talking about, Harry? We're in this together." Hermione said, her hand on his arm.

"Voldemort's close. I just know he is. I can sense it.  
If you two don't destroy that cup, and I have to face him, I won't stand a chance."

Hermione and Ron stood there for a moment, both of them wanting to protest.

"We always knew it would be like this in the end. It always is. You two can't come with me on this one."

"How will we tell you what the last Horcrux is"  
Hermione asked quietly.

"The three of us will find each other before the end.  
We always find each other, remember?" Harry said,  
smiling at her.

"Right," Hermione hugged Harry tightly, "Be careful."

"I will."

"Draco may be an idiot, but Snape's no joke, mate.  
Don't do anything stupid." Ron said nervously, patting Harry on the shoulder.

"Likewise." Harry grinned.

And with that, Harry disappeared down the right corridor.

Ron turned to Hermione.

"Listen, Hermione-"

"Come on." Hermione cut him off.

They carefully made their way into the left corridor,  
nothing but darkness yawning before them.

--

Tonks raced back to the bedroom, almost tripping on the bump in her carpet.

"Remus!" She said breathlessly, kneeling by the bed.

He blinked in the dim light, his dark blue eyes bleary and exhausted.

"Where am I?" He asked in a quiet, raspy voice,  
looking straight up at the ceiling.

"You're at my apartment." She said, taking his cold hand.

"I feel awful." He said, his voice trailing off as his eyes closed again.

"I know you do. I'm so sorry, love, I'm doing my best."

He looked over at her finally.

"Tonks?" He said, his eyes squinting.

"Yes, it's me." She said, smiling softly.

"Get away from me." He said, looking back at the ceiling.

"What?"

"Don't help me. Don't YOU help me." He said, starting to cough.

She saw with horror the there was blood dribbling out of his lips.

"Remus-"

"Why didn't you just let me die?" He said, his anger muted by his weak voice.

"Because I love you." She said fiercely, wiping the blood away from his mouth with a cold cloth she had put on his forehead.

"Oh, do you?" He laughed softly, starting to cough again.

"You need to rest. We can talk about this when you're better."

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"What?"

Lupin took a deep breath, summoning up all his strength.

"I don't want to get better. I finally thought it was all over...that I'd died defending my best friend...but that was all a lie. I don't want you to help me."

"Well, then, what do you want?" Tonks said, swallowing hard to fight back tears

"I don't want to hurt anymore." He said, so quiet that she couldn't understand him.

"What?"

But he didn't respond, unable to stay awake any longer. She sat there, tears sliding down her cheeks,  
watching his chest rising and falling with labored breaths.

--

Draco leaned against the wall, watching Nagini make long, slow circles around the room.

"So we're just supposed to sit here and guard her?"

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic." Snape said, his back turned as he worked.

"I thought doing tasks for the Dark Lord would be a lot more interesting."

"So sorry it's disappointing you."

Draco rolled his eyes, watching Nagini wind her away into the next room. He followed her, more to get away from Snape than to see what she was doing.

The next room was far larger than the one Snape was finishing his work in, and Draco felt a strong sense of foreboding as his footsteps echoed on the cold stone floor.

Nagini suddenly raised her head, emitting a low hiss.

Draco followed her gaze, and backed up in surprise.  
Harry Potter was standing in the doorway, wand out.

"Potter!" Draco said, hastily withdrawing his wand.

"Darn. Nagini really ruined my grand surprise entrance." Harry sighed, "Oh well...let's get down to business, shall we?

--

Ron and Hermione walked on, their wands now lit again.

The only sound was Hermione talking softly to herself,  
looking at the map.

"And it should be right in here." She said, about to walk blindly into the antechamber.

Ron stopped her.

"Hermione, you can't just charge in there. There's probably people guarding it."

"You don't think I can take care of myself?" She said,  
raising an eyebrow.

"N-No, it's not that, it's just-"

"What?"

"Just let me check it out."

"So you can get yourself killed? No way."

They both tried to shove through the doorway at the same time.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed, irritated.

"What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Nothing. Go ahead."

Ron looked at her, as if trying to determine if this was some kind of girl trick.

Finally, he stepped through the door, Hermione right behind him.

The antechamber was too large to be fully illuminated by their two wands.

It seemed to be some kind of dining room, with an exorbitantly large table in the middle of the room.  
The table was still set with four places, ancient silver goblets bearing different crests.

"No one's been down here in so many years." She said,  
feeling goosebumps form on her arms as she noticed that there only three goblets for four places set.

"I'm not so sure about that." Ron said, holding his wand as he walked towards the far corner.

"What?" She looked up.

"Check this out."

She hurried over to him, and gasped.

Small footprints in the dust led to the corner.  
Sitting in the corner were shards of Hufflepuff's cup.

"Someone already destroyed it." Hermione said, her heart sinking.

"Recently- look at the footprints. Brand new." Ron said.

"Who would do that? Who else could know about this"  
Hermione looked at Ron desperately.

"No idea." Ron looked back, dumbfounded.

"How are we going to find the next Horcrux then?"

"Maybe this person knows what it is. Maybe they're on our side, and they're going to destroy it." Ron shrugged.

"We've got to find Harry." Hermione turned back to the door they had come through.

Suddenly, it slammed shut. Hermione and Ron raced towards it, as they heard the sickening sound of someone magically sealing the door shut.

--

"What are you even doing here, Potter?" Draco said,  
trying to hide the nerves that were making his wand hand shake.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Draco asked innocently.

"Don't play games with me, Draco. Tell me where she is."

"Well, Potter, with the information you're giving me,  
you could mean the bloody Queen of England, so..."

Harry slammed Draco up against the wall.

"Don't fck with me. Tell me where Ginny is, and I'll leave you here unconscious but breathing."

"You're a real big man now, Potter? You have no idea what's coming. You won't be able to handle it. It's some sick stuff...even for you, Wonder Boy." Draco said, smiling.

Harry threw Draco to the ground, and he landed in a heap, his wand rolling away from him. Harry caught it under his foot, pointing his own straight at Draco's annoyingly smug smile. But Harry saw the smile shaking...he was scared to death.

"Last chance, Malfoy."

"Or what? You'll kill me? You don't have the balls.  
You never have."

"3..."

Draco started to scramble backwards, trying to get to his feet.

"2..."

"Potter, wait!"

"1."

"Harry, please!" Draco put up his hands, sounding like a little boy.

Just as Harry opened his mouth to utter the spell, he was blasted backwards by one far more powerful than anything he could have managed. It wasn't the killing curse, but Harry hit the ground hard enough to most certainly fracture something.

He got to his feet quickly, biting down the pain, and saw Severus Snape standing in front of Draco with a very strange expression of worried panic on his face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Harry practically growled, blind hatred throbbing through his veins.

"The very same thing your father did, Potter!" Snape shouted back.

"Oh, really? And what would that be?"

"Protecting my son."

--

Hermione tried spell after spell against the door, but nothing worked.

Ron was perched on the table, examining the frayed edge of his sweater.

"DAMN IT!" Hermione yelled, kicking the door as hard as she could.

Ron's eyes widened in surprise. She turned around,  
seeing his expression.

"What? WHAT? You've got something you want to say?  
You've got something to actually contribute to the situation instead of just sitting there and watching me get more and more hacked off? WHAT?"

Ron grinned, unable to stop himself.

"Oh, now you're laughing at me?"

"I've just never seen you like this." He laughed.

"I fail to see anything funny about this situation!"

"It's just...you look pretty hot when you get all angry like that." Ron said, smiling even wider as he stood up off the table.

"Oh, right." Hermione scoffed, but Ron could tell she was about to smile.

"You do! Why do you think I always pissed you off so much?" Ron said slyly.

"Ron..." She sighed.

"Yeah?"

Hermione opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"Never mind." She said quickly, turning back to the door and getting her wand out again.

"Oh, come on. That's the most annoying thing ever."

"It's not important. Never mind."

"All right. Whatever." He put his hands in his pockets, turning back around.

"Ron?"

"WHAT?"

She sighed heavily, crossing her arms and leaning against the sealed door.

"It's so stupid."

"Come on, Hermione. Since when do we not tell each other stuff?"

She laughed.

"Since...we had a thing for each other for like five years and said nothing about it?"

"Okay. Well, other than that. You can tell me anything. I mean, I'm kinda like your boyfriend,  
right?"

"Boyfriend?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Well, right?" Ron said, blushing furiously.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess you are." Hermione smiled.

"So ask me then."

"Fine." Hermione shook her arms slightly, as if to relieve nerves. "Have you ever..."

Ron looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Have I ever what?"

"I can't even believe I'm asking this, this has to be the worst timing in the world, but it seems like we're not going to get out of here for some time, and I've been dying to know, and even if you had with Lavender Harry would never tell me, so-"

"Have I ever what?"

She looked at him, incredulous.

"Are you trying to be dense?"

It finally dawned on Ron what she was saying.

"Oh. No! N-No, I haven't."

Hermione looked enormously relieved.

"Not with Lavender?"

Ron laughed, shaking his head.

"No, we never...we never did that. I wasn't in love with her or anything--and mum always told us that you should never, you know," Ron made an awkward hand motion, "unless you were in love with the person."

Hermione smiled, pleased.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that."

"Why? Have YOU ever done it?"

"Yeah. Once. With Harry."

"WHAT?"

"I'm kidding, Ron."

"NOT funny."

Hermione giggled.

"Your face...was priceless." She said, leaning against the door as she started to laugh harder.

"You are really not a nice person, you know that?" Ron said, starting to laugh as well.

"I'm not...you really should just break up with me immediately." Hermione said, putting her arms around his neck.

"Yeah...but then I'd never get to do this..." Ron said, kissing her.

It was strange- the kiss started when they were both laughing, but suddenly it changed. Ron kissed her again, hard. Hermione's mind went pleasantly blank for a moment, and she was stepping back, back towards the table. Ron lifted her up, and her hands slid under his sweater. He helped her pull it off, and started to unbutton her shirt.

She unbuttoned the last button, throwing it on the ground. Ron stopped suddenly.

He looked at her. She looked at him, confused.

"What? Why'd you stop?" She said, pushing her hair off her face, out of breath.

"You're so bloody gorgeous." Ron shook his head, as if unable to convince himself this was actually happening.

"Is something wrong?"

"No...I just...are you sure you want to do this?"

Hermione looked at him for a long moment, holding his face in her hands.

"Ron, I love you. You know I do. We could never get out of here alive. We could be dead before this day is over. You're the only person I'd ever want to do this with."

Ron didn't say anything, watching her bra strap slip off her shoulder as she leaned forward.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I'm nervous. It's--I mean, it's you and me...I don't want to mess it up. I've been in love with you for such a long time, and I've built this moment up so much in my mind--it's just a lot of pressure. I mean,  
what if it's bad? And it's very cold down here, so..."

Hermione smiled.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

She unbuckled his belt.

"Just shut up."

--

Harry looked from Snape to Draco in amazement.

"Your SON?" Harry echoed.

"That's not true..." Draco got to his feet, pale as a ghost.

"I'm sorry, Draco, I didn't want to have to help you fight Potter. I wanted you to do it yourself. But you needed me, and I am your father-"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Draco yelled.

"Wouldn't you rather know the truth than believe a lie for the rest of your life?" Snape looked at him, every word seeming to come out with great effort.

Harry wondered if he could possibly just slip past them in the midst of all this familial drama. He started to back up slowly towards the hallway to the next corridor.

"Draco-"

"My father is Lucius Malfoy!"

"No. That's what we wanted you to believe. Things were so much easier that way. Your mother and I wanted"  
Snape reached out for him.

Draco hit his hand away, his cheeks blazing red.

"DON'T TALK ABOUT HER! She wouldn't do that! You're lying!" Draco yelled, backing away from him.

"Perform any spell you like on me, you will see I am not lying." Snape held out his arms in deference.

Draco shook his head, disgusted.

"I don't need to perform any spell. I was exactly like my father- I looked like him, I talked like him, I thought like him- I'm nothing like you!"

"Your good looks and good breeding come from your mother, Draco. Your sense of superiority and phobia of any real relationships...I'm afraid those you got from me."

"Just...just stop. This is crazy." Draco held up his hands, walking away from Snape and back to Nagini.

Snape turned to see Harry gone.

His lips twisted into a small smile.

"Impressive, Potter. I'd have hated to have to kill you and make you miss the show."

--

Hermione and Ron lay on the wide table on their backs,  
staring up at the ceiling. Assorted clothes lay all around them, and Hermione pulled Ron's discarded coat over her body.

"So..." Ron said, wide-eyed.

"Yes?" Hermione said, her voice sounding very small in the enormous room.

"That was awesome."

Hermione grinned.

"Really?"

"Wasn't it for you?" Ron turned to look at her nervously.

She sat up, feeling very confused. She had liked feeling that close to him, but it wasn't quite the fireworks-and-roses-falling-from-the-sky kind of spectacle she had always built it up in her mind to be.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Ron sat up beside her.

She looked at him, smiling reassuringly.

"I'm fine...it was just...I didn't know what to expect, and now that we've done it, I don't what I'm thinking."

"I knew we shouldn't have..." Ron covered his eyes with his hand, obviously embarrassed.

"No, Ron, I'm not sorry! I wanted to, and I'm glad we did. It's just like- it's one of those moments I've been thinking about for a long time, especially with you-"

"And I let you down." He said, refusing to look at her.

"That's not it, Ron...look at me..." She said,  
turning his face to hers.

He reluctantly raised his dark blue eyes to meet hers.

"You never let me down."

Ron looked at her dubiously.

"Really?"

"Really." She kissed him softly.

Ron laced his fingers through hers, grinning.

"You know, according to my older brothers- it's better the second time."

"Ron."

"What?"

"I think I've thrown caution to the wind enough for one day," She laughed, getting off the table and getting dressed.

"Oh." Ron got up as well, pulling on his boxers and sweater.

"Oh, don't look all depressed. If we can get out of this mess alive, there's a very good chance I might throw caution to the wind again."

"Really? Because I know I can do better."

"Ron."

"I can!"

"Ron."

"You don't believe me?"

"I believe you." Hermione sighed, getting out her wand and heading to the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving this door a second shot. There has to be a way past the spell."

"Well what did they put to seal it?"

Hermione touched the substance oozing through from the other side.

"I don't know- it's really hard and sticky."

"That's what she said." Ron grinned, unable to help himself

"Ron."

"What?"

"Just...stop."

--

Snape went to follow Draco down the corridor when a small white hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed his arm.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, whipping out his wand.

It was Narcissa.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He looked at her,  
confounded.

"I destroyed the Hufflepuff cup. That means there's only one left. What is it?"

"What are you doing here?" He repeated.

"I'm trying to help my family."

He looked at her, confused.

"Think about it, Severus. You're smarter than the Dark Lord, you always have been. If you could defeat him-  
you could be greater than he ever was."

"You're insane." Snape shrugged her off.

"You've never thought about it?"

"Listen, Narcissa, I don't even know what you're doing here. You're going to get hurt if you stay-"

"Just listen to me, Severus! I've got Potter's two little friends locked up- we kill them, Potter's off his game, you tell me what the last Horcrux is, we destroy it- and you destroy the Dark Lord. Our family will rule the entire legion of Dark Arts followers.  
Think about it- everyone but my sister thinks The Dark Lord is long past his prime on a sad little revenge mission. And I could convince her to join us."

"No. The answer's no."

"Don't try to make me believe you're faithful to him!"

"Narcissa-"

"Think what this could mean for us! For our son!"

"It could mean many more years of my life wasted doing something I've never been all that committed to in the first place." Severus said wearily.

"What about Draco?"

"What about me?" Draco walked up to them.

Narcissa and Severus jumped like guilty teenagers caught making out in the back of their parent's car.

"Mum, what are you even doing here?" Draco asked, his arms folded tiightly against his body.

"T-Trying to help." She said weakly.

"You can be of no help to this situation, Narcissa.  
Please leave." Snape said.

"No." She said fiercely.

"Oh, let her stay, Professor. I needed to ask her something anyway." Draco said, his voice practically shaking with anger.

"What do you need to ask me, darling?" She turned to him, her face softened.

"Was Lucius my father?"

"Of course he was." Narcissa said flippantly.

"That's not what Snape told me."

She looked at Snape incredulously for a split second,  
then back at Draco.

"Darling, you must have misunderstood Severus."

Draco swallowed hard, as if unable to say it. Finally-

"Is Snape my father?"

Narcissa looked at her son for what seemed like an endless length of time. Snape looked between them,  
feeling his heart thudding painfully against his chest. Narcissa closed her eyes, unable to face her own son.

"Yes."

--

Tonks woke up in the middle of the night from a fitful sleep. Rain was pounding down on the windows of her apartment. She stretched, her head pounding horribly.

She got up to go check on him, yawning.

Tonks stepped into the room, going over to him.

His eyes were closed, and he looked so peaceful, a small smile on his lips..

She got up to leave when she realized something. His chest wasn't rising and falling. He was completely still. She put her hand on his face-- his skin was ice cold.

"No, no, no..." Tonks murmured under her breath, tears burning her eyes.

She felt for his pulse, her finger to his throat.

Nothing.

"NO! God, please, no!" Tonks sobbed, pushing on his chest urgently, and blowing into his mouth

But there was no response. She kept trying until her arms felt like they were going to break, but he never opened his eyes, never took a breath...

He was gone.

--

Somewhere, on a very far shore, Remus was walking down a sunny beach. He could see shapes off in the distance. Without even needing to draw closer, he knew them. His friends. All those who had gone ahead. Remus broke into a run. The mortal coil no longer had any hold on him. He was free. At long last, he was free.

--

Harry raced down another staircase, knowin he was getting deeper and deeper into Hogwarts and more and more lost. But he knew it would probably all come down to the final, furthest chamber- Voldemort had a flair for the dramatic. And if Ginny was somewhere down here, he was going to find her. If she, Ron, and Hermione were safe- he could do this. He could beat him. He would find the last Horcrux and end this. This was between him and Voldemort, no one else. Man to monster.

Harry rounded another corner, his shoe slipping on the stones. With a rush of adrenaline, his fingers scrabbled on the wall to keep himself upright. He fell hard on his elbows, his knees sliding on the hard stone.

"Shit!" He murmured under his breath, his elbow throbbing. It was already nearly broken from Snape's spell, and now he was almost certain it was useless.  
But it wasn't his wand hand. So he shakily stood up,  
brushing himself off with his good hand.

"Are you all right, darling?"

Harry turned around so fast he nearly sprained his neck. He backed against the wall, feeling as if all the air had been knocked out of him.

Standing there, tall and beautiful, was his mother.

"Of course he's all right, he's seventeen years old. I fell off my broom and broke every bone in my leg. You didn't ask if I was all right then." His father, his young, handsome face barely creased by age, stepped out of the darkness as well, winking at Harry.

"That's because you were a total prat then." Lily grinned, walking over to her son and putting her hand on his cheek.

"M-Mum?" Harry could barely speak, his throat felt like sandpaper.

"Yes, love. I'm here."

--

A/N- Next chapter- Voldemort and Harry meet for the final time. The last Horcrux is revealed. Sacrifices are made. More deaths.  
More triumphs. More revelations. It's the big one,  
guys. Please leave me a review! 


	24. Man and Monster

Picking Up the Pieces Chapter Twenty-Four Man and Monster --

Harry looked up at his parents, who were smiling as if there was nothing at all strange about this situation.

"How?" He choked out.

"It doesn't matter how, son. We're here. We're here to help you finish this." James clapped his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"This is a trick." Harry shook his head vehemently,  
stumbling backwards.

His mother and father looked at each other,  
bewildered.

"Why would we trick you?"

"Voldemort's doing this. Or Snape. You aren't real."

"Harry, we've been watching over you all these years.  
We thought it was about time we made an appearance."

"That's impossible."

"The ones who love you never really leave you." His mother said softly.

"Stop. Stop talking to me like you're her." Harry felt his eyes welling up with tears, unable to look at what he knew wasn't real.

"Please let us help you."

"The time's come to defeat him, Harry." His dad said,  
his jaw set resolutely.

"I know."

"We'll go with you...stand at your side in your greatest victory." His mother said, smoothing down his his hair.

Harry tried to shake off the comfort of his mother's simple touch. He tried to force himself not to look at them, to keep explaining away their sudden appearance.

But he couldn't.

He didn't need an explanation. He needed his parents.

He swallowed hard.

"Mum...I can't do this."

Her face broke into a smile, tears filling her large green eyes.

"Of course you can, darling."

His father put his arm around Lily, looking at Harry seriously.

"This is the moment, Harry. Every step has brought you closer to this place, to this chance. You could end it all- all the suffering, all the pain, all the sacrifice- it could be over when the sun cames up tomorrow. Everyone- your mother and I, Sirius,  
Dumbledore- knew you could do this. We still know. And we're going to be there with you. No matter what...you're not alone."

"What if I can't? What if I fail?" Harry finally voiced the question that always haunted him.

His father shook his head angrily.

"He's not your equal, Harry! You have powers he could never dream of possessing. Own them. Embrace what you meant for...and you won't fail."

Harry looked at them both for a long moment.

He took a deep breath.

"Let's go."

--

Ron finished reciting the spell along with Hermione,  
and they stood there, wands held out, waiting.

Slowly, the substance around the door began to melt and pool at their feet.

"OH YEAH!" Ron pumped his fist in the air, grabbing her from the side and hugging her hard.

"Oww!" Hermione laughed.

He kissed her temple triumphantly, and they stepped through the open door together.

--

Draco looked between his mother and the man he now knew to be his true father.

"You're serious." He said, his young voice suddenly sounding very tired.

"Yes. I'm so sorry, darling. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I-"

"No, you didn't." Draco said wearily, running a hand through his hair.

He turned his attention to Snape.

"That's why you were always so nice to me. Why you always helped me with class."

Snape said nothing.

"Draco-" Narcissa reached out for him.

He stepped back, shaking his head. His light blue eyes were half-rimmed in tears.

"No. No. You don't talk to me anymore. Neither of you.  
You lied to Dad, you lied to me- for all these years.  
You don't get to just apologize and make everything all right."

"Well, then what would have me do?" Narcissa said,  
starting to cry.

"Get the hell out of my life."

Draco started to walk away, when suddenly Severus spoke. His voice was so soft it was near a whisper,  
and his eyes remained fixed on the ground.

"When have I ever let you down, Draco? I have saved your life, time and time again. I performed the task you could not. I took the life of a trusted mentor and friend. For you, Draco. For my son. I gave up everything," He finally did look up at this point,  
Draco's back still to him, "And I'd do it again,  
gladly."

Draco turned around, tears starting to fall down his pale cheeks.

"I'm not thanking a man who's lied to me my whole life."

He walked away, blinking back the hot sting of fresh tears.

--

Harry stood before the door to the final corridor, his hands shaking horribly.

"You really think I can do this?" He said, shaking out his hands before withdrawing his wand.

"I think this is what you've been waiting for your entire life." Lily said with a proud smile.

He nodded.

"We'll be right behind you. You can do this." James said

"We love you, Harry."

Lily leaned forward, kissing her son's forehead.

Harry took a deep breath, and with one last look back at them, he walked down the final hallway leading to Voldemort.

All roads had led him here.

It was time.

--

Ginny woke up with a jolt, her frighteningly thin arms strung up against the pillar.

Footsteps were echoing down the corridor leading to the chamber.

Her bare feet barely reached the ground. The ropes binding her had been lowered little by little today,  
and her back was bloody and raw from sliding down the rough stone.

A long shadow appeared against the wall, illuminating a man entering the chamber.

Another one of Voldemort's followers, she thought without much feeling, here to inflict more pain. She had become almost immune to being hurt, telling herself that as long as she could feel pain, she was still alive. She still had a chance.

Suddenly, the man broke into a run, racing towards her.

Ginny drew in a sharp breath as the realization hit her, her dry throat barely able to form the word.

"Harry..."

--

Harry reached her, desperately tearing at the ropes binding her.

"Gin, I'm here, you're going to be okay, I'll get you out of this..." His voice was choked with the shock of finding her like this, so thin and pale.

She said something, too quiet for him to hear.

He took her face in his hands, his wand clattering to the floor. She looked at him for a long, quiet moment,  
and in her dark blue eyes he saw the girl he knew. He saw Ginny, still somewhere deep within this broken,  
beaten body.

"Harry..." She said again, a small smile spreading across her face.

"What is it, Gin?"

"I knew you'd come."

--

Ron threw his shoulder against the door.

"Okay, I think I just dislocated something."

"Don't be such a baby." Hermione sighed, flicking her wand and opening the door.

"Oh, aren't we clever." Ron rolled his eyes.

"I'd have thought you'd have figured that out by now"  
She grinned, grabbing his arm and leading him through the door.

They appeared to be in some kind of gallery.

Ron opened his mouth to say something else, but Hermione's grip on his arm tightened.

They heard voices.

Ron and Hermione raced to the edge, and looked down to see an enormous, sprawling chamber. And in the middle of the room, chained to a pillar, was Ginny, with Harry desperately trying to get her down.

Ron was about to shout that he and Hermione would be right there, but then his voice died in his throat.

A dark shadow was stretching across the room.

Voldemort was here.

--

Voldemort clapped his thin, skeletal hands at the sight of Harry and Ginny.

"Bravo, Harry."

Harry whipped around, grabbing his wand off the ground.

"You finally found me." Voldemort said, with a slow smile.

"You look like you're barely strong enough to be standing. Gone ill or something?" Harry said, his teeth clenched.

"You know perfectly well what's wrong with me, Harry."

"Do you want me to make a list?" Harry said, his voice surprisingly strong.

"You've found and destroyed almost every part of me.  
For that, I must commend you. But you're not finished,  
Harry. And neither am I."

"Let Ginny go. This is between you and me."

"No, Harry, it's not just between us anymore. Do you want to know why?"

Harry said nothing.

Voldemort nodded into one of the dark corners of the room.

Bellatrix stepped forward, holding the shards of Hufflepuff's cup in a wooden box.

"Harry, you remember Bellatrix, I assume?"

She looked at Harry, winking.

"What a handsome young man you've become." She leered in that horrible little girl voice.

Harry could practically feel his blood boiling.

"What my dear assistant holds in her hands is the remainder of the last Horcrux you and your little friends have destroyed. As I'm sure you now know,  
there is a simple spell that can lead you from one Horcrux to the next. One you've taken full advantage of. And to commend you for your efforts, I'm going to allow Bellatrix reveal to you the final Horcrux. Once you destroy it, all that will be left to do is destroy me."

Harry still didn't speak, proud of Ron and Hermione for destroying this themselves.Then, unbidden, his mind flashed to the fact that if Bellatrix had the shards of the cup now, she probably got it from Ron and Hermione.

She could have killed them. His two best friends could easily be dead.

Harry forced this thought to the back of his mind. He couldn't think about that now. He had to destroy the final Horcrux.

"Show me." He finally said.

"Gladly." Bellatrix cooed, waving her wand over the box.

"Revelio..."

Golden, glittering print began to write in thin air..

As more and more letters appeared, Bellatrix began to laugh- an awful, piercing laugh.

But Harry didn't even hear her.

The swirling print spelled out two words.

GINNY WEASLEY.

--

"What the-" Ron nearly threw himself over the edge to get to his sister.

Hermione grabbed him, one hand clamped over his mouth.

"Ron, if they know we're here, they'll kill us." She hissed urgently in his ear.

"You expect me to do NOTHING?" Ron looked at her in shock.

"This is Harry's fight. He'll find a way."

"By killing my sister??"

"You and I both know he'd never do that. There has to be another way."

"WHAT?"

Hermione looked at the ground, at a loss.

-  
Ginny said nothing, looking at her name levitating strangely in mid-air.

Harry hadn't moved, and the only sound in the room was Bellatrix's high-pitched laugh.

"You see, Miss Weasley and I have been closely linked for some time. When the spirit of Tom Riddle entered her, it made her take his place as the final Horcrux.  
I couldn't have been happier. I knew that your best friend's little sister would be well-protected. And when Bellatrix told me you two had fallen in 'love"  
Voldemort spat the word as if it was the most detestable curse word he could think of, "I saw how perfectly this would all play out."

Harry felt his hands begin to shake again. It sounded as if Voldemort was talking from very far away.

"So..." Voldemort held out his hands, "We're all waiting...go on, Potter. Destroy the final Horcrux.  
Kill her. It's your only chance of defeating me."

"No."

"Then you'll die where you stand. The wizarding world will lose its last hope. Is one little girl really more important than that?"

"I'M NOT KILLING HER." Harry said, his green eyes fiery.

"Well, then, this is the end of the road for you, I'm afraid. Bellatrix, remove my cloak."

Bellatrix smiled, slipping the cloak off his frail shoulders.

"Kill him, Master. I've waited seventeen years to watch this."

"Dumbledore always called your love your strength. But now...I am proved in thinking it is your greatest weakness. You could save thousands of lives...but no.  
Your "love" is what dooms you. What dooms everyone."

"Wait!" Ginny suddenly cried out.

They all turned to her.

"Harry...just do it." She said, a familiar look of "don't-even-try-to-argue-with-me" in her eyes.

"Don't be crazy." Harry laughed weakly.

"You'll save everyone. You'll set them all free.  
Please...I'm begging you. End this. It's worth it."

"Not if it means losing you!" Harry looked at her incredulously.

Ginny looked at him, a small, sad smile on her face.

"Harry, I love you. You know that. And that's enough for me. I don't have any regrets, and if my life is the cost of ending this war...then it's time. I'm ready."

"No, Ginny, stop talking that way."

"Harry, how about some parental advice?" Voldemort beckoned to the corridor where his parents were watching.

Bellatrix marched over to them, pushing them out into the open, muttering under her breath.

Harry looked at them desperately. But their eyes had gone strangely blank.

"What's wrong, little Harry? Ask them what to do"  
Bellatrix smiled.

Right before his eyes, his mother's beautiful skin was rotting and peeling. His father's brown eyes were beginning to jut out as his face thinned and hollowed.

With the horrible smell of singed flesh, they were turning back into corpses. Their bones appeared as their human bodies melted away.

Harry gagged, stumbling backwards.

Ginny closed her eyes, unable to watch.

"Lily and James Potter don't appear to be the formidable foes they once were." Voldemort smiled, his fanged teeth horrifically revealed.

His mother and father's skeletons fell to the floor,  
cracking on impact.

"My idea, Harry. A little twist on the Inferi that I created. Fully reanimated visions of the dead. Did you like their little visit?" Bellatrix laughed.

Harry vomited on the cold stone floor, feeling like his insides were ripped out through his mouth.

"Guess he didn't like my little treat." Bellatrix shrugged to Voldemort.

"No one's here to help you now, Harry. Time to make a decision for yourself. They've all left you. Sirius,  
Dumbledore, your parents, your friends..."

"BECAUSE OF YOU!" Harry shouted, choking on a sob.

"Why don't you face me like a man then?" Voldemort shouted back.

Harry looked at him, blind hatred coursing through him. Voldemort smiled at the look on his face.

"There you go, Harry! There's the anger you need! Now do it! Kill her! Finish me! Show me what you're really made of! If you're really the one to defeat me, then PROVE IT!!"

Suddenly, Bellatrix let out a cry, falling to the ground.

Behind her stood Narcissa and Snape.

"If he won't finish you, we will." Narcissa said,  
stepping over her unconscious sister.

Voldemort looked at them, amused.

"What is this, a coup?"

"You could say that." Narcissa said, walking towards Voldemort.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Harry cried.

But Snape ignored him, not even drawing out his wand.  
He put his hand on Ginny's arm, and started to speak softly.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!!" Harry scrambled to his feet,  
racing over to Ginny.

"Do it, Narcissa!" Snape cried, stepping away from Ginny.

Narcissa spun towards Ginny.

"Avada Kedavra!" She shouted, and a blast of green light hurled towards Ginny.

--

Harry and Ron's desperate shouts were drowned out by the terrific blast of Narcissa's curse.

The green haze finally settled, Harry racing through it with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ron had shaken off Hermione, running down the steps to the chamber.

Suddenly, Hermione caught his arm.

"Ron...look..." She whispered.

Ron stopped in shock.

Narcissa's wand clattered to the floor.

Harry nearly fell over, catching himself on the pillar that held Ginny. Ginny- who was still very much alive.

Harry looked down to see what had tripped him.

The dead body of Severus Snape lay at his feet.

Snape had thrown himself in front of the curse.

"Look at the Revelio curse." Hermione said, her hand holding Ron's arm tightly.

It no longer spelled Ginny Weasley. Wisps of smoke revealed where it had changed seconds ago to SEVERUS SNAPE. And with his death, the lettering had disappeared.

"W-What-" Ron stammered.

"He transferred the Horcrux to himself." Hermione blinked in awe.

--

Narcissa raced to Severus' side.

Harry's wand stuck his wand against the skin of her neck. She looked at him, her blue eyes full of tears.

"Get out. You have no chance without Severus of ever accomplishing anything." He said coldly.

She shook Severus.

"How could you do this to me? How could you leave me like this?"

"Get OUT." Harry repeated.

Suddenly, Narcissa went totally rigid, falling to the ground as chains wrapped around her.

"You heard him."

Harry turned around to see Ron and Hermione.  
Hermione's wand was out.

Harry felt oddly conflicted at the sight of them-  
happy they were all right, but wishing they were a million miles away and safe.

She stepped behind the pillar, doing another spell.  
Ginny's chains vanished, and she fell into her brother's arms.

"Severus transferred the Horcrux to himself. It's almost over now." Hermione said quietly.

"Go on, Harry." Ron said, nodding towards Voldemort,  
who looked significantly weakened by this sudden blow.

The last remaining bit of his soul barely clung on inside of him.

Harry turned to face him.

"Your little friends are making this too easy"  
Voldemort forced a smile, shakily raising his wand,  
aiming it at Ron, Ginny, and Hermione.

"Avada-"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry shouted back furiously, and their wands connected again.

But this time, Harry was not a weak, fourteen-year-old boy. He faced Voldemort as man now, and within no time, the small orb of light was dangerously close to the white, withered hands of Voldemort.

Harry could practically feel all of them next to him.  
His parents. Dumbledore. Sirius. Every life that had been lost because of this creature in front of him.

But there was nothing left to fear. Harry could and would beat him now.

Harry closed the space between them, the bonebreaking effort of maintaining the connection making it enormously difficult to put one foot in front of the other.

"It's over, Voldemort!" Harry shouted over the roaring wind connecting their two wands, looking into his serpentine eyes.

Harry was finally successful, and the orb blasted into Voldemort with a blinding light. Vodemort's wand dropped to the ground. Harry stood over him- a sad,  
pale monster shaking and writhing on the ground.

Voldemort looked up at him, blood seeping from his eyes. He was crumbling to pieces, his last shreds of life slipping away like water through cupped hands.

Harry sheathed his own wand, drawing out Gryffindor's sword.

He raised it above his head.

Voldemort's voice, small and weak, echoed sadly through the chamber.

"Please..."

Without a moment's hesitation, Harry brought the sword down, slicing through the withered skin of Voldemort's neck.

As Voldemort died, his bones turned to ash, his body dissolving in a mass of flames.

Silence fell over the chamber.

It was finished.

--

A/N- Next time- three months from the death of Voldemort. The Aftermath and final chapter. Thanks for reading!

miss you katie!

love you and see you soon ev 


	25. If War is Hell, What Comes After?

A/N- The final chapter has come at last! I can hardly believe it- I've been working on this story since after the sixth book came out, and now we're almost to the seventh- craziness. The title of this chapter comes from the movie "The Good German."

Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Five

If War is Hell, What Comes After?

Three months later…

Harry sat at the dimly lit table, finishing his glass of wine. Ginny sat across from him, her short red hair pushed back with a headband. The scars on her pale skin were well hidden under a long-sleeved black dress. She looked incredibly small under the voluminous layers. Her cheekbones jutted out against her skin, and her once shining blue eyes looked continually exhausted. It made Harry feel a terrible sense of guilt just looking at her like this. She put on a brave face for everyone, smiling and laughing at the festivities celebrating the defeat of Voldemort. But when they were alone, her façade slipped and Harry saw that, three months later, she was nowhere near healed.

"Gin, you need to eat something." He said, looking at her barely touched plate of fish.

She sighed.

"Harry, I already have my mum and dad obsessing over how much I eat. I don't need this from you."

"I'm sorry…I'm just…worried about you."

"I know! I get it! Everyone's worried! But just…don't be. I don't want to talk about what happened anymore. I'm not going to off myself or anything, and I'm so happy everything worked out in the end. That's all that matters."

"That's not all that matters."

Ginny took a long sip from her glass of water, checking the watch hanging on her sickly thin wrist.

"Where are Ron and Hermione anyway?"

"I don't know. They told us six o'clock, right?"

"Yeah. The newspapers are going to figure out where you are sooner or later, I wish they'd hurry up before this turns into another media frenzy."

Harry sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"It'll die down eventually."

"Harry, you liberated the entire Wizarding world. I don't think it will die down anytime soon."

"I guess."

Ginny looked around, seeing that more than a few people were looking at the two of them, exchanging whispers.

"I'm afraid you're doomed to a life of celebrity."

"Fantastic."

Just then, the door to the restaurant banged open, Ron holding the door for Hermione, both of them looking rather wind-blown and laughing about something.

Ginny and Harry both looked up, happy to see living proof of the most tabloid-celebrated result of this whole ordeal- Harry Potter's two best friends had gotten married.

Hermione spotted Harry and Ginny, waving as Ron took their coats to the cloak room.

"Already delegated him to the hapless husband?" Ginny grinned as Hermione came over, kissing Ginny's cheek and hugging Harry.

"Of course. Sorry we're late." Hermione grinned, smoothing down her straightened hair as she took a seat.

Harry couldn't believe how much older Hermione seemed. In just three months, she had left girlhood completely behind. Wearing a white button-down shirt and a skirt, her gold wedding band glinting in the light, the little girl he'd grown up with seemed a far-distant memory.

This experience had aged all of them, for the worse or better. It had certainly agreed with Ron and Hermione, who had gone from bickering teenagers to a married couple in what seemed like no time at all. Many people had whispered behind their backs that they had rushed into it, that maybe Hermione was pregnant (she vehemently denied this, especially to a skeptical Mrs. Weasley whose 'intuition' told her otherwise), that it would never last. But Harry, who knew them better than anyone, saw this as a long time coming. He was genuinely happy that something tangibly good had come out of all of this.

He kept being celebrated as a savior, but he still felt incredibly empty. Lupin was dead. Sirius and his parents' false reappearances had hurt him more than he let on. All of the victims claimed by the war were still lost. Ginny was changed, maybe irrevocably so. The numbers were still coming in on the missing and dead.

It was hard to keep smiling as people congratulated him, when he felt like the defeat of Voldemort had left him even colder and more cut-off than before.

"Bloody freezing out there! Where's this storm come from?" Ron said, coming up to the table, kissing his sister's cheek and clapping Harry on the shoulder.

"Well, if someone would learn to apparate properly…" Hermione grinned.

"Quiet, you." Ron smiled back.

"I'm just saying…"

"Ignore her, she has no idea what she's talking about, I prefer not to apparate."

Hermione shook her head, sighing.

"Oh, Gin, Harry, mum and dad were wondering if you two would come over two weeks from this Sunday. Big family dinner." Ron asked, flipping through the menu.

Ginny and Harry looked at each other, shrugging.

"Yeah, sure." Harry said.

"Mum'll be thrilled. She asks about you two every second she's not asking me about when Ron and I plan on 'becoming a family'." Hermione rolled her eyes.

Ron looked alarmed.

"No new developments on that front, I'm assuming?"

"You know what they say about assumptions." Ginny grinned.

Ron looked between his sister and wife as if they knew something he didn't.

"You'd be the first to know." Hermione assured him.

Ron, a little flushed, took a sip of water.

"I mean, we just got married a month ago. Shouldn't she be bothering Bill and Fleur more than us?" He said in a slightly nervous voice.

"She's more bothered with trying to get them to move closer to home. Wants the whole family together, you know." Ginny sighed.

"Are they still in Egypt?" Hermione asked.

As Hermione and Ginny kept talking, Ron leaned over to Harry.

"Hey…did you hear about Snape?"

Harry looked up, surprised.

"No…what's up?"

"His memorial's next week. Some secret location. Dad said the Aurors at work are trying to figure out where, so they can arrest anyone who attends. Said Severus died Public Enemy Number One, no matter what we say he did for Ginny."

Harry let this sink in for a moment.

"Why would I lie to make Snape look better than he really was? I hated him. I always will."

"I know that. I saw what really happened, remember? But apparently no one's really all that convinced. All they believe is that you beat Voldemort, and that's all anyone really cares about."

"I still don't understand why he did that."

"People change." Ron shrugged.

"No, they don't."

"Harry, look around the table. We've all changed. Why couldn't Snape?"

"Don't tell me you feel sorry for him." Harry said, his eyes narrowed.

Hermione and Ginny looked over at Harry's angry voice.

"Sorry for who?" Hermione asked.

"Ron seems to think Snape was some kind of martyr now."

Ginny and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Oh, and now you do too? Are you forgetting that he killed Dumbledore? Forced someone to pretend to be Sirius?"

"Harry, calm down." Hermione put her hand on his arm.

He shook her off, looking to Ginny for support.

"Snape saved my life." Ginny said softly.

Harry looked at her, shocked.

"You honestly thought I was going to kill you?"

Harry and Ginny had skirted around this topic (and most others) since it had happened, but it could only go so long without being addressed, and they both knew it. They had been pretending to be a happy reunited couple, but had kept their conversation and interaction weirdly formal and polite.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, alarmed.

"Of course you wouldn't have done that…" Hermione laughed nervously.

Harry ignored her, still looking at Ginny.

"Answer me. Did you think I was going to kill you?"

"Guys!" Ron looked between them helplessly.

There was long, tense silence.

Ginny took a deep breath, her eyes unwavering as they filled with tears.

"I didn't think you'd do it. But I wanted you to kill me. I was hoping you would."

Hermione looked at her with wide eyes as Ron's mouth fell open with shock. Ginny got up, practically running from the table.

Ron got up to follow her, but Harry put his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't."

"Harry! She-"

"This is between me and Ginny."

And he went after her.

--

"What the bloody hell is going on with them?" Ron shook his head, getting undressed that night.

Hermione sighed, putting down the book she was reading in bed.

"They've both been through a lot, Ron. Every since they were eleven, Harry and Ginny have been through _a lot_. We can't understand it, because we've always been the ones watching from the outside. We've never been possessed by Voldemort. We've never been tortured. Harry's right- it's their fight, it's their conversation. You and I just need to let them deal with it."

"Hermione, it's Ginny and Harry! She wants to kill herself, and Harry's practically been a zombie since it all ended! You're not worried?"

"Of course I'm worried. But we can't help them."

Ron sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"I can't accept that."

"You don't have a choice."

He looked at her for a long moment. With a sigh of resignation, he lay back beside her in bed, Hermione pulling the comforter over his lanky form clad in plaid pajamas.

Ron switched out the lamp next to the bed, and they lay there in darkness for a moment, listening to the cold, rainy night outside. Hermione snuggled closer to him, thinking how nice and warm he always felt in bed beside her.

"I thought things would get better when this was all over." He said sadly.

"Things have gotten better. Voldemort's gone. But that doesn't just erase all the things that got lost along the way."

"Or found." Ron smiled at her, his face in shadowy outlines.

"That was cheesy." She giggled.

"Heaven forbid I try to be romantic."

Hermione smiled.

"I love you, you know."

"I love you, too. And if that's the only thing we've got in the middle of all this, that's a hell of a lot to me."

Hermione smiled, genuinely touched.

"Me too."

--

Ginny pulled her cloak tighter around herself, barely feeling the ice cold rain. She wanted to be away- away from all of this, away from them, away from the memories she couldn't stop reliving. If only she could not feel anymore, not hurt anymore- she would give anything just to disappear.

She thought she could be all right, thought she could put it all behind her now that it was over- but she couldn't. And she couldn't pretend anymore.

She looked up, finding herself in the dark and winding streets of a nearly deserted Knockturn Alley. No one dared to show their face here after the defeat of Voldemort. They knew Ministry patrols of the area were rigorous during the day, and to come here at night was said to be only for those with a death wish. The hardest and most vicious of Voldemort's former followers were said to have secret meetings in the empty, dusty basements of the shops, planning their revenge.

It was all rumor of course, and no Death Eaters had even been glimpsed since the day Voldemort had fallen. But there was still of a heavy air of unease and decay in the empty streets, like a hand slowly winding spindly fingers around Ginny's throat.

What if the rumors were true? What if she came face-to-face with her former captors?

She wondered what she would do if she saw Bellatrix again, the woman who had continuously tortured her. Would she be afraid? Resigned? Angry?

She continued down along the cobbled road, and came to the Hangman's Cliff at the end of the path. She looked down, hundreds of metres, down into the dark waters of the ocean.

Ginny felt dizzy, stumbling backwards into the famous tree at the edge of the cliff where hundreds of Muggles and Halfbloods who opposed the Purebloods had been executed in the tumultuous times before the Founders.

She had learned this place's grisly history in History of Magic. Heaven knows why she was remembering it now. That class- that girl who had scrupulously written notes to friends while pretending to listen seemed very far away now.

Once, she had found gory stories of the past fascinating, a great way to liven up a boring class. But not now. Death seemed much nearer to her now that it had then. And she felt much closer to the line between the living and the dead that so many here had crossed.

So many dead. So many lost. But not her. Why not her?

"GINNY?"

Ginny closed her eyes, refusing to listen.

She looked at the edge of the cliff.

What if she just walked off it? Right now?

She remembered Hermione had told her once that the difference between a crazy person and a sane person is that they both hear the little voice telling them do something mad, but the crazy person is the one who does it.

Maybe she was crazy. Maybe she had been for a long time.

She took a few tentative steps forward, the waves crashing against the rocks coming into view. It really wouldn't be that difficult…certainly easier than watching Bellatrix sharpen a knife that she knew was about to be dug into her skin…

Ginny spread her arms out wide. Maybe she'd be like a phoenix…rise from the ashes of this life in a glorious rebirth somewhere else…somewhere better…

She felt her feet slip slightly as she came to the edge. Someone was yelling, but she could barely hear it over the storm.

She took a deep breath, stepping forward again.

But suddenly, a surprisingly strong grip caught her from behind, pulling her backwards onto the soaking wet grass. It was Harry, He half-carried, half-dragged a struggling Ginny underneath the tree.

Once they were somewhat shielded from the rain, he took her by the arms, shaking her.

"_What do you think you're doing? Have you lost your mind?_" Harry yelled, his voice shaky and hysterical.

"Let go of me!" Ginny yelled back, trying to shake his grip.

"No! I'm not letting you do this! I'm not letting you kill yourself!"

"WHY NOT? You couldn't finish the job, why shouldn't I? I'm supposed to be dead, Harry, don't you get it? You keep saving me, and for what? So the whole cycle can start again? I'm not waiting around for it anymore- at least this way, I choose when it happens. How it happens."

Harry looked at her incredulously.

"Listen to yourself! Listen to what you're saying! That's insane!"

"Maybe I'm crazy, Harry! Maybe you are too! Tell me it doesn't make you sick to your stomach to have everyone smiling and congratulating you when you know that so many people died! Tell me it doesn't make you want to throw up when you see Ron and Hermione acting like nothing bad even happened! I can't take it, Harry! I can't keep faking like I'm going to be fine, when I know I'm not! And everyone just keeps looking at me like the way I feel is wrong, and that it's just ruining all the happy people's day to have to DEAL with crazy, fucked-up Ginny!"

Harry took a deep breath, his green eyes dark and hurt.

"Ginny…what you just said…I have felt that way every day of my life."

She looked back at him, catching her breath. For the first time in a long time, she felt a stab of remembrance of the aching, consuming feeling Harry had always stirred up in her. The air between them was suddenly electric, their sadness and anger becoming something else.

"I don't want to feel this anymore." She said quietly.

"Me neither." Harry said.

They leaned towards each other, kissing for the first time since it had all happened. It was a strange, almost desperate embrace, both of them wanting to block everything out, just forget it all, if only for a moment.

But that wouldn't work. And Ginny knew it.

She broke away from him, getting to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I just can't…I can't watch myself become your charity project. You're doing this because you feel like you have to, to stop the crazy girl from doing crazy things, and I…I don't want your pity."

Harry looked suddenly furious and slightly embarrassed.

"My pity? Give me a break, Ginny! You want someone to feel sorry for you? Sorry, it won't be me. You have the perfect family who loves you, who wants to give you everything, who wants you to be happy! You've been through a hard time, yes, but have you ever stopped to think about how many hard times I've had to go through with no one to come back to? No one to depend on? Every battle I've fought, I've fought on my own! And do you see me throwing myself off cliffs?"

She turned to him, furious.

"Oh, no, because the noble, perfect Harry Potter would never think of doing something like that! Poor little orphan Harry, who just uses his friends to construct the family he wishes he had! Of course, no one but you understands real pain! No one but you has ever suffered or lost or gotten hurt- you just get the automatic trump card in that department! You win, Harry! You win the horrible life contest! I'm sorry for even trying to compete!"

Harry stepped away from her, his expression completely blank but tears sliding down his cheeks.

Ginny swallowed hard, knowing she had gone too far.

"Harry…" She stepped towards him, reaching for his hand.

He hit her hand away.

"Don't."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I…"

"But you did mean it! And that's what I don't get about you, Gin- nothing is ever good enough. I have tried everything, done everything to try to make life better for you, for us- and then I find you trying to kill yourself. Do you know how that makes me feel? After all of this, after all this time searching for you? I was willing to give up everything and I…I still would. But that would have been a mistake, wouldn't it? If it's so easy for you to just throw it all away?"

"I can't help how I feel."

"No, you can't. None of us can. But you can help what you choose."

"Don't lecture me, Harry."

"Just listen to me! Sometimes, making a choice to keep going is the only way I could. There was something Dumbledore told me a long time ago. He told me, it's our choices that make us who we really are. You have to choose to keep going, Gin. Choose to see your life as a gift, not a curse."

Ginny blinked back tears of her own. She suddenly felt like a selfish, petulant child. And Harry…her Harry, the boy she had loved since she was a girl, had become a man right in front of her eyes.

Harry looked at the dying storm, stepping out from under the tree. The fresh smell of everything in the old world being washed away permeated the air. Ginny followed him, suddenly desperately wanting him to stay.

"Harry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I wasn't thinking- I was acting like an idiot. I'm sorry."

"I told you…I understand what you were thinking. I've thought the same thing a hundred times over."

She took his hand.

"Please, forgive me."

Harry looked down at her.

"I forgive you, Gin." He said, and she couldn't tell if he meant it.

Ginny smiled, but it was a bit forced.

"Let's get you home." Harry broke the awkward silence.

"Where are you going to stay?"

"My flat here. You need time with your family."

"I…I'd rather just stay with you."

Harry looked at her, surprised.

"What?"

Ginny blushed furiously.

"Never mind. Nothing."

"Gin…"

"I know It's not the right time for either of us. For that. I know. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry- I just think, for now anyways, let's just-"

"Be friends?"

"Yeah."

They walked along the path, finally reaching his flat. They walked up the stairs together, reaching Harry's door, numbered 203.

"Thanks, Harry. Yet again…thank you." She smiled.

"I told you, you don't need to thank me." He said, getting the key to the door out from his wallet and unlocking the door.

"Okay well…I'll see you later."

"Yeah. See you."

"Friends?" Ginny suddenly stuck out her hand, smiling.

Harry turned to look at her, suddenly seeing a flicker of the Ginny he had fallen in love with. He always loved the way her freckled nose crinkled when she grinned, her big blue eyes warm and sparkling.

"Yeah. Friends." He smiled back, shaking her hand firmly.

Ginny let go quickly, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"So…"

"Oh, yeah- come on inside, you can use my fireplace to get home. It's approved, don't worry."

"I was really concerned." She giggled, following him inside.

--

Hermione walked through the doors of the refurbished Ministry, holding lunch for herself and Ron.

It had become their nice little newlywed tradition that every Wednesday she brought him take out from the same little shop, and they had lunch in his cramped little office.

Ron had temporarily taken over for his father, who, on Molly's insistence, was taking a much-needed break after the war.

Hermione was still figuring out what she wanted to do, and wanted to give it a good amount of thought and not jump into anything. She was still working on her graduation degree from Hogwarts, which McGonagall had agreed to give her by correspondence (Ron had said she could probably finish the curriculum in a weekend if she really wanted).

She stepped into the nearest elevator, and nearly ran straight into Tonks.

"Oh!" Hermione started, dropping her plastic silverware and nearly everything else.

Tonks helped her pick up wordlessly.

"Thanks--at least nothing spilled!" Hermione giggled nervously, stepping into the elevator just as the doors closed, sealing them both in awkward proximity.

"How are you, Hermione?" Tonks asked, her toneless voice indicating little interest.

Tonks' hair was long and dark, pulled back in a tight ponytail, and her youthful face looked tired and drawn. She was wearing a black sweater and jeans, looking about ten years older than the last time Hermione had seen her.

"I'm doing really well, thank you. How about you?"

"Fine." Tonks said quickly.

"Tonks, I'm so sorry." Hermione said, her words coming out in a rush.

Tonks swallowed hard.

"Can we not do this?"

"You have to talk to someone!"

"Hermione...I'm trying really hard to be okay here. I'm just here to clean out of my office and I'll be out of everyone's way…so just please, _please_ don't say anything else about it."

"We all miss him."

Tonks looked at her, her big blue eyes furious. For a second, Hermione thought Tonks was going to slap her.

But she didn't. She stepped closer to Hermione.

"How would you feel if Ron had died?"

Hermione blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Imagine Ron dying right in front of you, right in your arms. Saying he doesn't want to live anymore. And there's absolutely nothing you can do. Imagine that, and then you'll scratch the surface of how much I miss him."

"Tonks-"

The doors opened at the next floor, and a short old wizard with flaming red hair got on.

He looked between them, laughing.

"I'm losing me mind! Forgotten me spectacles at home again!"

Tonks and Hermione stood there silently, forcing smiles.

--

"Knock, knock!" Hermione grinned, stepping through the door of Ron's office.

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley!" Ron smiled, getting up to kiss her and set the food down on the table.

"That still freaks me out." She laughed, pulling a chair to the other side of his desk.

"Me kissing you?"

"Ha. Ha. No, the 'Mrs. Weasley' thing."

"It's a very distinguished name." Ron said, feigning hurt.

"I just always think someone's talking to your mother when people call me that."

Ron shrugged, digging into his bangers and mash as Hermione sat down across from him.

"Did you talk to Ginny or Harry?" Hermione asked, dipping a piece of fish into mushy peas, a habit which continually grossed Ron out.

She hardly thought he was one to talk about gross eating habits.

"I talked to Harry this morning. He said everything's fine."

"Really?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently. They battled it out, and now everything's fine."

"Hmm." Hermione stabbed her fish with her fork again.

"Oh no. The 'hmm.' What did I do now?"

"Nothing- I just find it hard to believe that everything got wrapped up so nicely."

"Well, talk to Ginny then. I'm sure she'll give you all the gory details."

Hermione nodded, and they ate in silence for a moment.

"Oh, guess who I ran into?"

"Who?"

"Tonks!"

"Yikes. How was that?"

"So awkward. She was cleaning out her office. Can't imagine what she's going to do now. I'm frankly a little surprised they even let her back in the Ministry. I mean, she killed Shacklebolt!"

Ron shrugged.

"Apparently, her testimony gave enough evidence to prove her being Imperiused. Plus, everyone's keen to believe anything bad about Snape these days, so her story fits nicely into the Ministry campaign towards pretty much everything being Snape's fault."

"I still don't know how I feel about him." Hermione whispered, almost guiltily.

"I know. I mean…all respect to Dumbledore and Harry…but he did do a pretty noble thing there at the end."

"I still can't believe he's Draco's dad."

"I know. Yuck." Ron wrinkled his nose.

"Oh, grow up. You've got to accept where babies come from one of these days." Hermione grinned.

"Draco was not a baby. He was demon spawn."

"Ron…" Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'd just like to get my hands on the Amortentia potion that swung that for him."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Draco's mom is…you know…"

"Go on." Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Really horrible looking too." Ron said quickly.

"Nice. Very nice, Weasley." She laughed.

""You know what's weird?" Ron said after a moment.

"The fact that you insist on separating your sausage from your potatoes?"

"That's not weird. That's genius. Makes it seem like more food."

"Whatever. No. Tell me what's weird."

"Did Lupin ever have a funeral?"

"No…I guess not. I suppose Tonks took care of that. I mean, his parents both passed on a long time ago…and I mean all of his close friends…"

"Yeah." Ron looked down at his food.

"Poor Tonks."

"She's barely older than us. She'll find someone else."

"Ron!"

"What?'

"Don't be insensitive."

"I mean, I'm not going to go setting her up on blind dates or anything, but come on."

"She loved him."

"I _know_, I'm just saying."

"Well, it makes you sound like a jerk when you say stuff like that."

"So now I'm a jerk?"

"NO. Ugh, forget it."

"Come on , you get such great joy from pointing out my mistakes, tell me if I'm being a jerk."

"Okay. Now you are."

"How so?"

"Ron, I don't really want to spend your whole lunch talking about you being an idiot."

"That's how you've spent 95 of your life- why stop now?"

Hermione glared, getting up.

"Fine. Eat by yourself."

Ron followed her.

"See if I care! I love eating by myself. You just make me talk the whole time and it gets cold."

"Oh, poor baby. That's the saddest thing I've ever heard. Your mean, hateful wife who forces you to talk to her while eating the food that she brought you."

"That I pay for!"

Hermione's eyes widened.

"What did you say?"

"You and my dad made me take this job! And I don't even like it! But if I didn't do it, where would we be?"

Hermione threw her coat on, furiously buttoning buttons.

"If you don't want to work, don't work. I don't care."

"Yeah, right!" Ron rolled his eyes.

"You're being so impossible right now." Hermione said, pulling her hair out of her jacket.

The scent of her hair hit Ron, and he realized how close they were standing.

"Oh, really?" Ron said, stepping closer to her.

"Really!"

"So you married a hopeless, insensitive jerk?" Ron said, his voice still angry but his hands sliding around her waist.

"Looks like it." Hermione said, trying not to smile.

"That sounds like more your fault than mine."

Ron leaned closer to her. Hermione put her hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Your food's going to get cold. And you're going to blame it on me again."

"I'll just get my lovely wife to reheat it."

"Eventually you'll have to learn these spells yourself."

"Right now?" Ron asked, kissing her.

"It can wait." Hermione sighed, as he took off her coat.

"Might want to lock the door." Ron grinned.

"How presumptuous of you."

"Don't use your smart-people talk around an idiot like me."

"Ron-"

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up."

--

Tonks sat down at the gravesite later on that night, her legs crossed.

She stared at the simple plaque bearing his name, the only thing she could throw together at such short notice.

It had just been her there while they buried him, an early morning chill still in the air.

She supposed she could have invited the Order, but just couldn't work up the desire to do it. She knew how they would all look at her- all their pathetic attempts at sympathy, their knowing looks as she stood there by herself.

She couldn't stand it.

She felt totally abandoned and isolated, like her life had completely fissured in one moment. This past year had taken it all away- a career that had meant everything to her now seemed pointless. The war was over. And yes, Harry had won, but the wizarding world had lost a great deal.

And she had lost him. She had never been in love before Lupin, and not only had she practically ruined his life this past year, she had stood there helplessly as he died.

Everyone at work avoided her completely- and she would have done the same had she been in their position. She had murdered one of their coworkers, coerced or not. She had betrayed them all.

She had failed Lupin, and failed herself.

What good could she be to anyone?

What could possibly be left for her now?

--

Harry walked out of the bookshop, a big, cheesy smile on his face as he waved goodbye to all of the people who had begged to shake his hand and take a photograph while he shopped.

"Ridiculous…" Harry muttered to Hermione, who had come out shopping with him while Ron was at work.

"Oh, Harry, like this is anything new. At least you have good books to read, and now you can hole up in your flat all you like." Hermione said, proudly thumbing through her suggestions.

"Thanks, Hermione."

"Of course."

They walked in comfortable silence for a moment, Hermione putting her arm through his.

"So everything's really all right with you and Ginny?"

"For the millionth time, yes."

"Well, come on, that sounded pretty dreadful!"

"Ginny's been through a lot, Hermione. She's allowed to not be perfectly normal right away."

"And so are you." Hermione looked at him, smiling sadly.

"Good to have your permission." He smiled back.

"So are you two…"

"No. Just friends."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione frowned.

"I'm serious. It's the best thing for both of us."

"To not be with the person you love?"

"It's not that simple, Hermione! It's not like you and Ron!"

"Oh, because that wasn't complicated at all," She sighed, irritated, "Look, the only reason things worked out for me and Ron is because we finally saw that we were making the easiest thing in the world way too hard- love isn't complicated, Harry! You want to be with someone, be with them!"

"Hermione, enough with the inspirational speeches, please. It's really not your business."

She looked away, hurt.

"I want you to be happy, Harry. That's all."

"I know you do. And I appreciate that. But I'm getting there, okay? I just need more time."

"Okay. Sorry." Hermione said, letting go of his arm.

They continued down the street in silence for a moment, taking a turn down an alley leading to his flat.

Harry sighed, looking at her.

"Hermione, don't be pissed- I really do appreciate you trying to help, it's just-"

Suddenly, someone banged open a door leading into the alley. The figure was hidden by a long, dark cloak as he pushed Harry and Hermione against the opposite wall.

They reacted immediately, pushing the figure to the ground and both withdrawing their wands.

"Who are you?" Harry demanded, breathing hard.

The figure reached up, drawing the hood of the cloak back.

It was Draco.

"What the hell are you doing?" Harry sputtered.

"Please…don't hurt me. I want to help." Draco shakily got to his feet, his once delicately featured face looking older and harder.

"Help with what?" Hermione said, looking over their shoulder to make sure no one was watching.

"I know where Snape's memorial is. My mum will be there. Bellatrix too. Along with other former followers…many people were more loyal to Snape than Voldemort himself in the end. They'll come."

"Why would you tell us something like that?"

"To gain immunity. I want a Ministry pardon, Harry. I want a second chance."

Harry snorted with laughter.

"And you thought, what? That we'd help you after you captured and tortured Ginny and Ron?"

"I never tortured them, Harry! I swear! I never wanted any part of this- I was just doing what I was told. I was just doing it because I thought it was what my father wanted…but Lucius Malfoy wasn't my father. Everything in my life changed after I knew that. I want a new start. I want my mother…my twisted family…out of my life and in prison where they belong."

"You'll be a social pariah, Draco. You must know that." Hermione said, somewhat sadly.

"I'll go away. I'll start again. Please."

Harry looked at him, trying to feel anger. But Draco looked so exhausted. So broken. So immensely different from the schoolyard bully Harry had once hated with such vehemence.

"I'm saying that I'll help bring down the final followers of the Dark Arts, Potter. I would do that, gladly. That alone should be enough evidence that I've changed."

Harry still said nothing.

"I'm trying to do the right thing for once in my life. It's the one decision I've made by myself, and I want it to be right. I want to be better, Harry. I want to be more like…more like my father."

"More like Snape?" Harry growled.

Hermione caught his arm.

"Harry, Snape died to protect us. To help end the final battle. You have to accept that." She whispered.

"I'll tell you anything, I swear. Just forgive me. I'm so sorry for everything." Draco looked at the two of them, his silvery eyes disconcertingly sincere.

Hermione and Harry exchanged a look.

"We'll have to take you to the Ministry, and they'll put you in custody. There's no guarantee of immunity." Hermione said, crossing her arms.

"There would be if Harry Potter asked for it! They would give you anything you wanted!" Draco said desperately.

Harry looked at him, feeling a twinge of pity.

"I don't know, Draco. This is asking a lot."

"I said I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for what happened to Ron and Ginny. But they're alive, unharmed-"

"Unharmed?" Harry snapped.

"Bellatrix hurt Ginny! Not me! And now I'm giving you a way to make sure she's put away for life! Or worse!"

Harry sighed, looking at Hermione.

She nodded.

Harry grabbed Draco's arm.

"Fine. But if you try anything- if you're trying to screw us over- you're dead."

"I know that. I won't. Thank you, Harry." Draco said, looking like he was about to cry with gratefulness.

Harry couldn't get over this insane situation. He almost wanted to laugh- if the Draco he had gone to school with could see the Draco looking back at him now…

--

Narcissa looked at herself in the mirror, draped in black.

She made a startling visage in the color, her pale skin and white-blond hair looking almost ghostly.

She had lost so much in such a short period of time that she still hadn't come to terms with it all. Lucius was dead. Severus was dead. And Draco had disappeared.

Narcissa was tired of crying, and couldn't do it anymore. She had to go on.

But to what?

Bellatrix knocked on the door, her long nails painted black, in full mourning regalia. She hadn't taken it off since the Dark Lord's vanquishing, and didn't plan on it anytime soon.

"Everyone's ready."

"Thank you, Bellatrix. Has Draco come back?"

"Still gone."

Narcissa nodded, her lips tightly drawn together.

"His own father's funeral."

Bellatrix looked away, disgusted.

"What? You have something you want to say to me?" Narcissa demanded.

"Severus betrayed the Dark Lord. Betrayed all of us. I've always known he would, and he proved me right in the end. I'll play along with this little charade, but I just thought you should know- no sister of mine, no real member of the Black family, would ever…consort with a filthy half-breed traitor. Much less have a child with him and lie about it like a common whore."

Narcissa looked away, biting back tears.

"Lucius and Draco deserved better than this. Better than you." Bellatrix said cruelly.

Tears slipped down Narcissa's pale cheeks as she turned to look at her sister.

"Bellatrix, you're the only family I have left. If I don't have you…I don't have anyone. I'm sorry- I'm an awful, deceitful woman. You're right."

Bellatrix looked straight at her, her dark eyes piercing.

"I am right. And after this…after today…we're done."

"Bella, please-"

"That's all I have to say to you. Now go on- let's go remember the man who killed our Master. The man for whom you gave up every good thing in your life."

And with that, Bellatrix was gone.

After a long moment, Narcissa followed her downstairs to the memorial.

She barely made it to the foot of the stairs before the place was swarming with Aurors.

Narcissa watched them with a kind of numb detachment, watched them drag a screaming Bellatrix into chains with little sympathy.

As restraints encircled her own wrists, Narcissa didn't fight back.

She didn't respond, putting in foot in front of another, the Auror's wand digging into the small of her back.

Fate had finally caught up with her. She didn't know how, and didn't really care. She was finally paying for all of her sins.

And as she closed her eyes with painful acceptance, she remembered him. Loving him had been worth it- worth it all. Narcissa realized that if she had it all to do over again- she wouldn't change a thing.

--

Tonks sat at the kitchen table in the Weasley's kitchen, holding the warm tea cup in between her hands.

"I can't keep feeling like this, Molly. I feel like I'm losing my mind."

Mrs. Weasley put her hand on Tonks' arm.

"Life will get better, Nymphadora. I know it. You still have big, amazing things in front of you. This isn't the end."

Tonks nodded half-heartedly.

"You don't believe me?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"I can't. I can't believe anything. I've lost it all. What's the point?"

"Don't talk that way, darling."

Tonks looked down, taking a shuddery breath.

"I can't stop thinking about that night…I want him back. I want him here with me." Tonks said miserably.

"You know what Remus would want? He'd want you to be happy. It would break his heart, seeing you like this."

Tonks nodded, brushing tears off her cheeks.

Molly smiled sadly, taking her hand.

"He's still with you, dear. He always will be."

Tonks looked up at her.

"You're right."

"What can I do, dear? What can I do to help?"

Tonks considered this for a long moment.

"I just…I need to get away. I need to get out of here, away from everything and everyone that reminds me of him. I need to start over. And I have no idea how."

Mrs. Weasley considered this for a long moment, and suddenly was hit with a flash of inspiration.

"Oh, Nymphadora- I know just what you should do!"

Tonks blinked, surprised.

"You do?"

"Yes! Charlie, you remember- my second oldest?"

"Yeah, of course. Crazy for dragons."

"Yes, yes- he's coming home two weeks from this Sunday for our big family lunch- celebrating Ron and Hermione's wedding, and all that- anyway, when we were making plans for his arrival, he mentioned that they're recruiting. They need new dragon wranglers for an Egyptian expedition that Charlie's heading up- you'd be perfect!"

"I've never been within ten feet of those nutter creatures." Tonks laughed for the first time in months, Mrs. Weasley's enthusiasm infectious.

"Oh, please- you've had Auror training in how to handle all sorts of mythical creatures far more fearsome than dragons- plus, you've got more nerve in your little finger than his current staff put together. Charlie would be so thrilled- this is his first big solo project, and a familiar face could be just what he needs!"

Tonks had to admit that the thought of shipping off to some foreign place where no one knew her, no one knew about Lupin, and no one would give her sad, pitying looks was a pretty tempting one.

"Molly, I just…I wouldn't want to impose…"

"Oh, nonsense! I'll owl Charlie about it today if you're interested- you could come over that Sunday night and leave together. He hates traveling alone- he'd be thrilled."

"That's really nice, I just don't…"

Molly sighed, cutting her off.

"Tonks…are you interested or not? Don't think, just answer."

Tonks obeyed.

"Yes, I'm interested. I would love to be a million miles away from here."

"Well, now you can be."

Tonks took a deep breath.

"I don't know what to say. You've always been so wonderful to me, even though I've acted like a moody nutcase half the time. And I've broken practically everything in your house…"

Molly smiled.

"Easily mended, my dear."

Tonks smiled back.

"Nothing beyond repair?"

"Nothing ever is." Mrs. Weasley patted her hand in a motherly way that made Tonks want to cry.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Tonks hugged Mrs. Weasley tightly.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything. "

"That's what I'm here for, dear. I try to keep everything running smoothly."

"Well, you sure do a bang-up job of it."

"See you in two weeks- Sunday night, then?"

"If Charlie says it's all right."

"I think he will." Mrs. Weasley said with a wink.

"I'll see you then." Tonks said, smiling an easy, genuine smile.

As she left the Burrow, she finally felt as though there was a glimmer of light at the end of the longest, darkest period of her life. It was time to come up for air.

--

Hermione came home that night to an exhausted husband, passed out asleep on the couch.

Ron looked up wearily when he heard the front door close.

"Finally, you're home."

She took off her coat, walking over and kissing his cheek,

"I know, I'm sorry, darling. McGonagall was a bit long-winded."

"Big surprise."

"Did you eat?"

"Yeah- I picked up something. Yours is in the fridge."

"Oh good- thanks, I'm starving." Hermione went to the fridge, opening her take-out and sitting beside Ron on the couch.

"So how'd it go?" Ron asked.

"Kinda…weird. I really want to know what you think."

"Ohhhkay."

"McGonagall said I'm done with my courses, and have effectively graduated from Hogwarts through correspondence."

"That's great!"

"Yes…and now the Ministry's actually interested in recruiting me for a job."

"Even better. What's the job?" Ron sighed, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"They've made a new Covert branch of the Ministry…for further ridding any vestiges of Dark collaborations all over the wizarding world."

Ron looked nervous.

"You're not going away are you?"

"No, darling. I'm not leaving you."

"I know you're not _leaving_ me…"

"No, Ron- just listen. I would be doing the managerial side of things- the Ministry contact for the group. I would handle all the paperwork, planning, etc…but from here. I'd actually be working with you, at the Ministry."

"Cool." Ron smiled.

"Yes, it would be…cool, I suppose. But…don't be mad…"

"Why would I be mad?"

"The team that I would be heading up and managing includes some familiar faces."

"Who?"

"Well, Luna, for one."

"Wow- haven't heard from her in awhile! That's great, good for her." Ron shrugged.

"I know, I mean, she may have been a bit out there, but she actually graduated with top marks from Hogwarts while we were gone- top of her class in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Ministry was dying to recruit her."

"Okay. Who else?"

"Well, you know what I told you about Draco working out an immunity agreement?"

"Oh, no."

"This is the agreement. He's going to serve as an undercover agent for the branch. Voldemort's former followers don't know that he turned to our side…he could prove really useful."

Ron wrinkled his nose.

"I don't know, Hermione."

"I know…it's really strange to even think of working with him. But Ron- it's like you said, people change. Maybe Draco's changed. I feel like I have to give him a chance, especially when he helped put Bellatrix in prison."

"Okay. Well, I mean that's pretty weird…but okay."

"Yeah. And this last thing- it really isn't a big deal. But the whole job…the whole branch was started because they were contacted by a man who knows of a big Dark Arts operation in Bulgaria."

"Bulgaria? That's pretty random."

Hermione waited for a moment, seeing if it would sink in.

It didn't.

"Ron, it's Viktor Krum. I'll be working with Krum- and it's really nothing, it's no big deal…"

"Krum?" Ron stammered.

"Yes."

"The guy who's been in love with you since you were fourteen?"

"He was never in love with me, Ron. I was just a kid…we just went out, it wasn't anything more than that. Besides, he's married now. He has two kids."

Ron seemed undeterred.

"You kissed him. Your first kiss."

"Big deal. It didn't mean anything. I didn't even want to."

"Yeah, right."

"Ron, please don't do this."

"How would you feel if Lavender and I worked together?"

Just the thought made Hermione's blood boil.

But she forced a casual shrug.

"I wouldn't care. It's over. You're married to me."

"You wouldn't care at all if Lavender and I shared an office and spent all day together?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Ron, Viktor and I certainly won't be sharing an office and spending all day together! I'll see him, Draco, and Luna together- once a week, for about an hour. It's NOTHING. It's no big deal. I'm just telling you because I didn't want you to hear it from someone else."

Ron looked away moodily, flexing and unflexing his toes against the carpet.

"Whatever. Do what you want."

"Ron, look at me. I need your support in this. If you don't want me to do it, I won't." She took his hands in hers.

Ron looked surprised.

"You would not take the job just because I didn't want you to?"

"Of course. You're my husband. We make decisions together now. We're a family."

Ron grinned.

"You really feel that way?"

"Of course!"

"Wow."

"So- tell me what you're thinking."

Ron sighed.

"It's just…what if Viktor still had feelings for you?"

"So what? If he still wanted to be with me, he just automatically gets to be? Not a chance. I love you, Ron. I choose you. You're my best friend, the love of my life- you're it, okay? You've always come first to me, and you always will."

Ron blushed deeply.

"Hermione…"

"I'm serious. I want to grow old with you, I want to have kids with you…I want it all. With you. No one else."

Ron blinked, taken aback.

"Kids, eh?"

"Well, someday." Hermione said, blushing now too.

Ron kissed her, grinning.

"Yeah. Someday."

There was a moment's silence.

"Hermione, if you want to do it, you should do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. Tell Viktor your husband says hello."

She giggled, hugging him.

"Don't worry, I will."

"You, Draco, Luna, and Viktor- I could have drawn names out of a hat and not come up with a team that random." He laughed.

"I know. Crazy."

--

Hermione sat at her desk, looking over her new team.

Draco looked bored, examing his nails. Viktor was smiling encouragingly . And Luna was wearing a full-length parka with fur lining, zipped to her chin.

"You know, Lovegood, we don't even leave for Bulgaria until tomorrow." Draco said snidely, looking at her attire.

Luna gave him an airy shrug.

"I'm just preparing."

"She's being very clever- we haff very cold weather there." Viktor said.

"You don't say?" Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Hermione sighed, clapping her hands together.

"Okay, everyone. If you've got any questions, now's the time to ask."

"Living arrangements?" Luna asked.

"Viktor and his family already have a home in Bulgaria, and the Ministry's been able to acquire the split-level flat next door for you and Draco. You'll each have your own bedrooms and baths, obviously, but share a kitchen and living area. Like roommates."

Luna gave Draco an oddly lingering appraisal.

"Fine." She shrugged.

"Don't get any ideas." Draco said quickly.

"I'm always getting ideas." Luna smiled, humming a little to herself.

Hermione tried not to laugh.

"Anyone else?"

"How much will you be in contact with us?" Viktor asked.

"As much as you need me. But the four of us will have regular meetings every Sunday afternoon in this office, at 3 o'clock sharp."

Draco looked up at Hermione with a surly expression, clearly hating taking orders from her.

"So we'll be in Bulgaria…"

"As long as it takes to bring down the Dark Arts faction there." Hermione finished for him.

"It can actually be a beautiful place." Viktor added cheerily.

"I'm sure it will grow on you two." Hermione nodded.

"Dad's got me doing _tons_ of Quibbler research- he says Bulgaria is the place with the most red-horned tuzzle sightings in the whole world. I'm quite excited."

Viktor and Draco looked at each other, bewildered.

"Well…great. Have a wonderful trip, you three. And check in with me once you've arrived."

Hermione stood up, holding out her hand. Draco declined from shaking it, giving her a dismissive nod. Viktor shook it firmly, smiling at her. Luna gave her a little curtsy and followed them out the door.

--

That Sunday afternoon, the Weasley house was filled to the brim with guests and food.

Mr. Weasley sat at the head of the table, and on one side was Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, and Ginny. On the other side sat Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

Mrs. Weasley had gone all out- the table was practically about to buckle under the weight of all the food.

Harry sat, watching them all in silence. He had been prone to introspection as of late, and today was no different. They had all come so far, changed so much- but it was still the same group of them as it had been all along. Despite the addition of Fleur and the loss of the still-estranged Percy, it was the same nine people that made him feel at though he really wasn't without a family, after all.

They had all made it. All the pieces of their little family finally fit back together after being so scattered and nearly destroyed.

At the end of the battle of his life….he was home.

"What are you thinking?" Ginny asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

"That I feel happy." Harry said, smiling at her.

Ginny smiled back, surprised.

"Yeah?"

Harry nodded.

She met his eyes for a long moment.

"Me too."

They looked at each other, both wanting to say more.

"So, tell us, Harry." Fred's voice cut into their little moment, "What are you planning to do these days? Ron and Hermione are already taking over the Ministry, how about you? Auror plans?"

The whole table turned to hear Harry's response.

Harry cleared his throat, laughing slightly.

"Oh, well, I have actually…been approached for something."

"Big surprise." Ron grinned.

"You didn't tell us anything!' Hermione said.

"It just happened yesterday."

Everyone waited with bated breath while Harry took a large swallow of his food.

"Oh, don't leave us on ze pins and needles!" Fleur finally cried.

Everyone laughed, including Harry.

"Okay, okay- I've been offered the job of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."

"But that job's cursed!" Ron shook his head vehemently.

"Oh come on- Harry can conquer Voldemort, I think he can withstand some made-up curse." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No one ever lasted more than a year." Hermione said nervously.

Harry laughed.

"Well, okay, scary curse reservations _aside_, how do you guys feel about it?"

"I think it would be wonderful!' Mrs. Weasley beamed.

"Who could be better at it than you?" Bill said, raising his glass in consent.

"I wish we had more children to send through Hogwarts, just so they could learn from you." Mr. Weasley smiled at Harry, clinking Bill's glass.

"Hear, hear!" Charlie said, obviously dipping well into the wizard's fine wine Mrs. Weasley had put out.

"Well…actually, I mean- I still have to finish school." Ginny said a little awkwardly.

Everyone now looked at Ginny. Every single person there had forgotten that she hadn't graduated yet.

"Of course, dear, of course." Mrs. Weasley said, as though _of course_ she hadn't forgotten.

"Harry's going to be Gin's teacher?" Fred and George said in unison, laughing madly.

Harry and Ginny looked at each other.

Ginny shook her head.

"I was actually thinking of doing the correspondence route, like Hermione. I was thinking of maybe going with Charlie to Egypt."

Charlie nodded encouragingly to his younger sister, as if they'd rehearsed this.

"Oh…I don't know, dear." Mrs. Weasley looked skeptical.

"I've always wanted to work with dragons, and if Charlie's there, I'll be safe."

"And Tonks, too." Charlie pointed out, as Mrs. Weasley had just finished her Tonks-going-to-Egypt sales pitch during lunch.

"Tonks? Oh, cool!" Ginny smiled widely.

"What do you think, Arthur?"

"She should be able to do whatever she wants." Mr. Weasley smiled proudly at his daughter.

"That'd be cool, Gin." Ron nodded approvingly.

"We'd still see you occasionally, right?" Hermione asked, worried.

"Of course." Ginny nodded.

"You'd still drop by Hogwarts occasionally?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Of course." She smiled at him.

"I suppose that would be all right…" Mrs. Weasley said slowly.

"YES! I'll go pack after lunch!" Ginny got up, hugging her mother tightly.

"So, Hermione- speaking of strange, foreign things- how are Draco and Luna?" Fred asked.

Hermione grinned.

"Okay, so far. They owled me to say Viktor's gotten them all settled in. Apparently, Luna insists on sleeping with all of her windows open in the dead of winter to 'adjust to the new climate', and Draco's about to throttle her, but that was to be expected."

Ron laughed through a bite of chicken.

"Who knows? Maybe they'll make a really weird, really blond family someday." He shrugged.

Everyone laughed as Mrs. Weasley went to the kitchen to bring out the dessert trays.

--

Ginny threw everything she owned into her trunk, still hearing the pleasant sound of laughter from downstairs.

She was so excited. She, Charlie, and Tonks in Egypt- how cool would that be?

Of course she was sad to leave Ron, Hermione, and especially Harry- but she felt like getting away would be good for her.

There was a small knock at the door. She turned around to see Harry standing in the frame, smiling.

"Busy packing?"

"Not too busy to talk to you. Come in." Ginny indicated her bed.

Harry sat down on the edge, watching her fold sweaters and throw her dirty old trainers in.

"So, Egypt, huh?"

"Looks like it." She smiled at his awkward attempt at conversation- Harry had never been one for small talk.

"Should be amazing."

"I hope so." Ginny

"I'm just going to be a boring old Professor while you're out conquering the world."

"Harry- there wouldn't be a world to conquer if it wasn't for you. You just _saved_ the world. I would hardly call that boring."

"I know. I just…I'm really going to miss you, Gin."

Ginny smiled, putting down her folding and sitting beside him.

"I'll miss you too, Harry. All the time. But we gotta figure out some stuff, like you said. And being apart might be the best way to do that."

Harry nodded.

"Harry…this doesn't mean anything's over. Not for me, anyway."

He looked at her.

"I don't want anything to be over…but it's just…I kind of felt like you were wanting to forget me…like that's why you were leaving."

"I'd never want to forget you, Harry. I love you."

They looked at each other, surprised. They had never told each other anything like that- neither were much for grand declarations of passion. But there it was.

"You do?"

"Yeah. I do."

She hugged him tightly.

"I love you too, Gin." He said quietly,

"We'll be together someday." Ginny said into his shoulder.

"I can't wait." He said, pulling back and kissing her forehead.

"Oh come on, Harry," She smiled.

"What?"

"I'm leaving tonight. _Really_ kiss me."

He was happy to oblige.

--

Charlie, Tonks, and Ginny stood at the fireplace with all of their luggage.

"I can't thank you enough for this." Tonks said to a very inebriated Charlie.

"Sure, sure, of course." He patted her on the arm.

"You sure you're okay to travel?" She laughed.

"Never felt better in my life." Charlie looked surprised at her concern.

"A trip through the Floo Network should sober him right up." Ginny giggled.

"All right then, in we go…all right there, Charlie?" Tonks took his arm, leading him towards the fireplace as the Weasleys and Harry looked on, looking both parts exasperated and amused.

"Your hair's pink." Charlie grinned at her stupidly.

"Well-spotted." Tonks laughed.

"Come on, dear brother…" Ginny rolled her eyes as the flames turned green in front of them.

"Bye everyone! Thanks again! CAIRO, EGYPT!" Tonks waved, stepping in and disappearing.

Charlie gave them a lazy smile and wave, falling in after her with a lackadaisical 'Cairo!'

"Bye everyone!" Ginny looked around at her family.

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley raced forward, hugging her tightly as her brothers loaded her luggage into the Floo Network. She hugged them back, taking her first step into the fireplace as she looked around at them all, smiling and waving.

Her eyes rested on Harry for a moment as she stepped into the flames. He gave her a small nod.

She knew what it meant, and nodded back.

"CAIRO!" Ginny called out, falling back into the green flames and disappearing from the Weasley living room.

--

Later that evening, Ron and Harry stood outside on the porch, having a drink.

The sun was setting over the Weasley's sprawling backyard, and the sky looked brilliant in shades of red and purple.

"What a day." Ron shook his head, leaning against the railing.

"I know. Good for Ginny, though." Harry said, watching the clouds move across the sky.

Ron nodded, choosing his next words carefully.

"How are you doing, mate?"

"I'm fine. Why...is Hermione still worried?"

"No. I'm not asking for her. I'm just asking. Between you and me. You can tell me if you're not."

Harry looked at Ron, suddenly seeing how much his best friend had grown up.

"Thanks, Ron. But I'm really okay. I'm really getting better all the time. I'm excited about working at Hogwarts."

"That should be cool."

"Definitely."

"Maybe you'll teach me and Hermione's kids."

Harry smiled.

"Yeah…I'd have to be careful not to give them special treatment."

"Doubt they'll need it if they take after her." Ron laughed.

Harry stopped laughing.

"Ron…what's with all the kid talk?"

Ron smiled, his ears turning flaming red.

"We didn't want to tell anyone this soon."

Harry's eyes got very wide.

"You're kidding!"

"No- but you're sworn to secrecy, Harry! She didn't want to tell anyone this early…but I mean, technically, I didn't tell you, you just figured it out, and it's not my fault you're so good at figuring out things when I was trying so hard to keep it secret-"

"Ron," Harry cut him off, laughing, "Can I just say congratulations before I'm sworn to secrecy?"

"It's just because my mum would make such a huge deal out of it, and Hermione and I just kinda want to enjoy it for awhile without all the pressure. I mean she just found out a few days ago."

"I think it's great! Better than great. I'm so happy for you guys. You're happy too, right?"

"Yeah." Ron grinned contently.

He never had been a man of many words when it came to things like this.

"I won't tell a soul." Harry stuck out his hand.

Ron shook it, and Harry pulled him into a hug, both of them laughing.

Just then, Hermione opened the back door.

"Hey guys."

Harry looked at her standing there, looking just as she always had, but so different too. He suddenly felt his eyes stinging slightly. Hermione was going to be a mum. His two best friends were going to be parents.

"Hey, Hermione. What's up?"

"Do you two want to go to the Leaky Cauldron? Just the three of us?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"Yeah, of course." Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"We just haven't done anything just the three of us in awhile." She smiled, taking Ron's hand and putting her arm through Harry's as she joined them at the railing.

"Yeah, we haven't done much together lately, except save the world."

"Very funny, Ron." She sighed.

Harry smiled at his two best friends, their profiles highlighted by the sun disappearing behind the mountains.

As they watched the sunset in silence, he knew it had been worth it. Moments like this were what he had been fighting for all along.

And whatever else came, it would be just like now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would stand together.

--

A/N- And that's all she wrote! Thanks again guys!

_THE END_


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